To Pray, To Look Up, To Answer

“I have often heard persons say in prayer, ‘Thou art a prayer-hearing and a prayer-answering God,’ but the expression contains a superfluity, since for God to hear is, according to Scripture, the same thing as to answer.” – Charles Haddon Spurgeon

I was struck by this quote of Mr. Spurgeon from his thoughts on Psalm 3:4 in his The Treasury of David, vol 1. I have had this volume (and the other two) on one of my shelves for many years. It was left behind at my parents as I moved about for a while, but now that it is with me again I thought I would take a courageous step and read it this year as part of my devotions. So, instead of reading five psalms every day to read through the psalms in a month, I am now reading five psalms in a month. For Spurgeon has much to say on every psalm, plus he has gathered together the writings of many ancient saints on each of the psalms. It is a treasure trove – one you can’t possibly hope to spend in a lifetime.

But is not God’s word a treasure trove? One I often take for granted, having grown up with a Bible, and church, and Sunday School, and family devotions, and memorizing, and reading over and over again. Sometimes it takes the writings of men like Spurgeon to help me see a verse over again. And to be reminded of the greatness of God and the importance of prayer.

Spurgeon’s quote makes my head spin a little, just as meditating on God’s sovereignty often does. For a finite creature like myself can have but a taste of understanding an infinite God. I don’t comprehend how exactly prayer “works” when God is omniscient, sovereign and knows the first from the last. But it is a comfort to know that when God hears my prayers, He has already answered. I just have to, sometimes, wait.

And look up.

Psalm 5:3b says, “…in the morning will I direct my prayer unto Thee, and will look up.” Spurgeon points out that too often we rush into prayer…and then rush back out. We don’t take the time to beseech our Heavenly Father for our very heart’s desires or the struggles we face. And even if we do, we more often leave our requests on the altar and bolt off into our day, heedless of the fact that we ought to look for the answers we so desire. Or, if you’re like me, you pray for something and then go off trying to figure out how to answer the prayer on your own. “Oh, ye of little faith!” For God to hear is for Him to answer. For us to pray is for us to look for that answer. To hope. To have faith. God heard. The answer is coming. Look for it!

In our home, we have a prayer box (given to us on our wedding from a godly couple I greatly admire who are like second parents to me). In it are little scraps of paper with requests on them. Every night after Ed reads a portion of Scripture, Emry gets to pick a prayer for the box (which she gets very excited about). Some of the requests are “simple”. Some are huge. But all are answered. To date, we have seen but one answer, yet I must have faith that the others are on their way. I must look up. Hope. Trust. For my sovereign God has heard. He has answered.