God Listens

I borrowed the title of this post from my local Christian radio station. "God Listens" is there slogan...a wonderful reminder to the city of Houston that the God of the Universe hears the prayers of His people. He really does! I got to experience this sweet and marvelous truth this past Friday night. I was in bed already, and could hear my dad coughing and gaging horribly (he has acid reflux and was hospitalized in May for about a week when the acid pierced his lung, giving him pnemonia. The horrible cough associated with the acid reflux had recently returned). So my dad was gaging it up, and my older brother was scolding him for not going to the doctor, etc, etc. As the "friendly" family dispute and the coughing was going on, I got a urge in my heart to go downstairs to pray for dad's cough to stop. I thought about it a little, and hesitated a while. After all, what if I prayed in front of them all (my 2 brothers and dad), and nothing happened? Nonetheless, I decided to go downstairs and began to pray for my dad outloud in the name of Jesus. I finished and returned to my room. I continued to pray and worship the Lord, asking him to glorify His name-that my brothers and father would see the power and glory of the name of Jesus Christ. One of the songs I sang to God was, "How great is our God," by Christ Tomlin. "Name above all names, worthy of all praise...all will see, how great, how great is our God," says the chorus. That night my family and I saw experienced anew the greatness of God and the power of the name above all names-Jesus Christ. My dad's cough stopped minutes later, and He was able to sleep like baby that night. I know God could have stopped the cough even if I had silently prayed from my room, without a single witness. However, my family was able to share the miracle of answered prayer because I decided to ask in front of them. I pray their faith was increased.

"This is the confience we have in approaching God: if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us-whatever we ask-we know that we have what we asked of him." (1 John 5:14-15).

Thank you Lord for hearing me.