BEFORE YOU CALL I WILL ANSWER

Before you call, I will answer!

"It shall come to pass That before they call, I will answer; And while they are still speaking, I will hear." Isaiah 65:24

"God, investigate my life; get all the facts firsthand. I'm an open book to You; even from a distance, You know what I'm thinking. You know when I leave and when I get back; I'm never out of Your sight. You know everything I'm going to say before I start the first sentence. I look behind me and You're there, then up ahead and You're there, too—Your reassuring presence —coming and going." Psalms 139:1-5 (MSG)

1. God hears our prayers.

"Now while I was speaking, praying, and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my supplication before the Lord my God for the holy mountain of my God, yes, while I was speaking in prayer, the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning, being caused to fly swiftly, reached me about the time of the evening offering." Dan 9:20-21

"An answer was immediately sent to Daniel's prayer, and it is a very memorable one. We cannot now expect that God should send answers to our prayers by angels, but if we pray with fervency for that which God has promised, we may by faith take the promise as an immediate answer to the prayer; for He is faithful that has promised. Daniel had a far greater and more glorious redemption discovered to him, which God would work out for his church in the latter days. Those who would be acquainted with Christ and his grace, must be much in prayer. The evening offering was a type of the great sacrifice Christ was to offer in the evening of the world: in virtue of that sacrifice Daniel's prayer was accepted; and for the sake of that, this glorious discovery of redeeming love was made to him." — Henry

"About the ninth hour of the day he saw clearly in a vision an angel of God coming in and saying to him, "Cornelius!" And when he observed him, he was afraid, and said, "What is it, lord?" So he said to him, "Your prayers and your alms have come up for a memorial before God." Acts 10:3-4

"His devotion did not make him a Christian, but his prayers and alms came up 'for a memorial before God.' God rewarded his devotion by bringing Peter to him to explain more fully the way of Christ." Wallerstedt

"Then another angel, having a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne. And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, ascended before God from the angel's hand. Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and threw it to the earth. And there were noises, thunderings, lightnings, and an earthquake." Rev 8:3-5

God is responding to their prayers (Rev. 6:9-11). The martyrs are to have patience until God's Plan has completed His Purpose.

2. God understands us.

"Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered."
Romans 8:26

The Holy Spirit not only brings us strength, He empowers us in our weakness, especially by helping us to pray, even when we cannot find words to speak. Setbacks and difficulties there will be (John 16:33), but God will continue to help us.

"For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need."
Heb 4:15-16

"Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that 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 the petitions that we have asked of Him." 1 John 5:14-15

"What about those fellow Christians who are not living righteously? John says God will forgive them if fellow Christians pray for them. Sin leading to death - that which is beyond our prayer - is willful, continual disbelief in the grace of the Holy Spirit toward us. (See Matt. 12:28-32; Hebrews 6:4-6; 10:26-31). Wallerstedt on 1 John 5:14-17.

3. Times of testing.

"Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth." Rev 3:10

"When I shut up heaven and there is no rain, or command the locusts to devour the land, or send pestilence among My people, if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land." 2 Chronicles 7:13-14