May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.
Psalm 19:14
They say that the last sense that goes before a person's passing is hearing. Family members and friends are encouraged to speak to a person who may be in a comatose state because they probably can hear us though they may not be able to respond. Hearing is a wonderful gift from God. It can affect how we learn, communicate, and worship. It should not surprise you that Jesus healed people who were deaf (Mark 7:31-37, Matthew 15:29-31).
God Hears Us
Whether God has actual ears like humans, we do not know. However, the Bible assures us that God does hear us. In the garden of Eden, God called out to Adam and He heard Adam's response and explanation for their hiding and fall (Genesis 3:9-13). It was during the time of Seth that "men began to call on the name of the Lord" (Genesis 4:16). Here you have the rudimental connection between worship and verbal praise, Man speaking or singing and God hearing.
In the calling of Moses, God said that He heard the cry of the Israelites who were suffering under the hands of the Egyptians (Exodus 2:23-25, 3:7,9). As God's people walked further away, God entreated them through the prophets to cry out to Him promising, "Before they call I will answer; while they are still speaking I will hear" because " Surely the arm of the LORD is not too short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear." (Isaiah 65:24, 59:1). However, God's plea fell on deaf ears and God's people went into exile. As Nehemiah prepared to lead the third return during the Babylonian exile, he asked, " O Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of this your servant and to the prayer of your servants who delight in revering your name..." (Nehemiah 1:11).
Yes, God hears us. "For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.” (1 Peter 3:12). Because "The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their cry; 16 the face of the LORD is against those who do evil, to cut off the memory of them from the earth. 17 The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles." (Psalm 34:15-17).
Pray Towards Jerusalem?
One may recall the story of Daniel being thrown into the lions' den for praying to his God instead of King Darius (Daniel 6). One of the details of Daniel's prayer life is that he prayed three times a day and that he prayed towards Jerusalem. Daniel was probably following the traditions set in the Scriptures: "In my distress I called to the LORD; I cried to my God for help. From his temple he heard my voice; my cry came before him, into his ears." (Psalm 18:6); and "To you I call, O LORD my Rock; do not turn a deaf ear to me. For if you remain silent, I will be like those who have gone down to the pit. 2 Hear my cry for mercy as I call to you for help, as I lift up my hands toward your Most Holy Place." (Psalm 28:1-2).
Yet as we compare other passages that encourage us to pray, no geographic direction is given. Praying towards Jerusalem does not give our prayers any advantage. Or to frame it in terms of God hearing us, God is not bound to one geographic location so He can hear us wherever we are and whatever direction we happen to face (Psalm 130:1-2, Isaiah 55:3, 1 John 5:14-15).
However...
Though God has ears and can listen. God warns what hinders Him from answering.
•Sin If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened. (Psalm 66:18)
•Pride The Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector (Luke 18:9-14)
•Disobedience If anyone turns a deaf ear to the law, even his prayers are detestable. (Proverbs 28:9)
