Let's Go Back to the Bible

“But there was no voice and no one answered”

Have you ever cried out for someone, and there was no answer? In that moment when you needed them most, they were nowhere to be found. Anxiety, despair and the feeling of misplaced trust wash over you as you continue your fruitless efforts of communication with the one who was supposed to help.

A similar display took place on Mt. Carmel in 1 Kings chapter eighteen. Elijah had thrown down the gauntlet, and there was to be a duel. Whose god would answer the call? The false prophets of Baal and Asherah went first as they prepared the ox and waited for their god to respond with fire. “They called on the name of Baal from morning until noon saying, ‘O Baal, answer us.’ But there was no voice and no one answered” (18:26). They began to leap about, dance, rave and cut themselves trying to solicit a response from a god that they trusted. The text tells us, “but there was no voice, no one answered, and no one paid attention” (18:29). It was evident to those prophets that their god was no god and would never respond to their pleas.

In stark contrast, Elijah prepared the altar and the sacrifice and drenched it in water. So much so that there was a trench of water around the altar. After a prayer that didn’t last one minute, fire came down and consumed not only the sacrifice but the water and the rocks also. It was clear that Someone was listening and that Someone was paying attention.

That same Someone continues to hear today. How important is it to you that someone listens? The Bible has many passages that provide us with the confidence that God is listening. In the days of the prophet Malachi, there were many who were unfaithful to God, but “then those who feared the LORD spoke to one another, and the LORD gave attention and heard it…” (3:16). The Psalmist wrote, “The LORD is near to all who call upon Him, to all who call upon Him in truth” (Psa. 145:18); “He has regarded the prayer of the destitute and has not despised their prayer” (Psa. 102:17); “The eyes of the LORD are toward the righteous and His ears are open to their cry” (Psa. 34:15). In Proverbs, “The LORD is far from the wicked, But He hears the prayer of the righteous” (15:29). Jesus said, “If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him” (Matt. 7:11). Please continue to be fervent in prayer. God is listening. God sees the struggle and the joys of your life. We serve a living God who cares about His creation. Be assured that when you approach His throne, He is listening. “This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us” (1 John 5:14).