You close your eyes while kneeling, you clasp your hands, or you look up to the heavens all in a posture of humility. Is God listening? Does he truly hear your heart’s cry?

Have you wondered what it would take to reach God’s ears when he allows something to happen that you don’t understand?

When your child dies, when you lose your job, when life seems hard, and your back is against the wall, you wonder why.

You can take the hard questions that you have and ask God.

My dear sister, God is listening, and he cares about what you’re going through.

Nothing ever catches him by surprise, and you can always turn to him in honest grief mixed with contemplation and ask him why.

Is God listening? Yes, He is.

Let’s look at one of the minor prophets in the Old Testament. Habakkuk was the prophet that spoke to God on behalf of the people. There isn’t much that is known about him, but he was well-known in his time.

This small book packs a mighty punch because it displays that God can use the wicked to judge the righteous.

God uses the unrighteous people during that time to judge His people, and Habakkuk couldn’t understand it.

At the end of the book, he recognized God’s sovereignty and that His ways are higher than his. God may be silent, but he is listening.

Habakkuk 1:2-4

“God, how long do I have to cry out for help before you listen? How many times do I have to yell, “Help! Murder! Police!” before you come to the rescue? Why do you force me to look at evil, stare trouble in the face day after day? Anarchy and violence break out, quarrels, and fights all over the place. Law and order fall to pieces. Justice is a joke. The wicked have the righteous hamstrung and stand justice on its head.” (The Message)

 

3 important aspects of asking God why:

 

 

The Words you use: Content

 

Habakkuk’s faith increased when he questioned God. The right words will trigger a response in you, leading to more faith in God and what he does.

Our key text for today shows the way that Habakkuk responded to the wrongdoings he witnessed.

He asked God specific questions about the righteous’s issues because an evil King had replaced a God-fearing one, and they were suffering injustices.

These are the questions that he asked:

• How long shall I cry and you not hear?
• Why are you allowing all of this wrongdoing?

In other words, Habakkuk wanted God to answer, and he pleaded on behalf of God’s people.

You, too, can go to God when you feel like you’re standing alone, suffering wrongfully, or seeing the injustice and mistreatment of many believers today.

In many countries across the world, Christians are being persecuted, and you too can join with the prophet, Habakkuk, and ask, Is God listening?

God has given you the ability to communicate, but what you say matters as well as how you say it.

 

Tone of voice

 

Habakkuk was a prophet, which means he was God’s servant, and as a result, he had God’s ear. God was listening, and he saw the strife that His people were facing.

Just as Habakkuk had God’s ear, you do as well. You are the daughter of the King of kings and Lord of lords.

As a believer in Christ, you are a priest, capable of going to the very throne of God to make your petitions known.

God hears all your cries for help, and in His perfect timing, he will answer.

But there is a right way and a wrong way to speak to God. When you talk to your heavenly Father, recognize who He is.

He is God, your creator, and he has all power and authority. You are addressing someone that knows the beginning from the end. And as such, adjust your tone of voice.

This includes your mannerisms, the thoughts in your heart/mind, and your posture.

Don’t be arrogant, and don’t be quick to give up.

They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint. Isaiah 40:31

When you go to God in prayer, humble yourself, and leave it all at the cross without any arrogance or pride. Ask Him anything because he will respond.

 

Heart motivation

 

Why are you asking God why?

Have you sat down and thought about it?

Is it because you want to foster a relationship with God built from honesty?

Or is it for selfish motives?

When someone dies suddenly, when your children turn away from the faith, when the relationship goes belly up at the last minute, what’s your heart’s motivation behind asking God why?

And how long do you wait before you ask, is God listening, or how long shall I cry?

Habakkuk was excessively burdened by what he saw around him. He chose to go directly to God and ask him the questions that were on his heart.

Habakkuk didn’t complain or worry about the outcome; he went to the source.

And he asked for justice. No one was following the law, and justice had been rendered ineffective, but it doesn’t end there.

God is the friend of the honest doubter who dares to talk to God rather than about him. Prayer that includes an element of questioning God may be a means of increasing one’s faith. Expressing doubts and crying out about unfair situations in the universe show one’s trust in God and one’s confidence that God should and does have an answer to humanity’s insoluble problems. (Kenneth L Barker & Waylon Bailey)

God is listening, and he has the answer to every question that you have. He is, Afterall omniscient; he knows everything.

 

Will God respond to my questions?

 

God responds to the believer just as he did to Habakkuk. Is he going to talk to you like TV depicts with an angel at one ear and the devil at the other? No.

Yet, God always responds. God has given you a tool that is at your disposal day and night. The early Christians didn’t have the whole Bible. It was fragmented and shared around in pieces.

But you have access to the whole book whether you have many physical copies or it is on your phone or computer. God’s word is complete.

It contains everything that God wanted you to know and what you don’t know he purposely left out.

This is one of the ways that God uses to answer your why’s.

He can also use the advice of a Christian friend, a sign, the Holy Spirits prompting, a word from your minister, a biblical counselor, and yes, he can, if he so chooses, to talk to you specifically.

If you seek him, you will find Him (Jeremiah 29:13), and when you speak, know that he hears and is listening. The best place to find Him is in His written Word.

 

When someone dies suddenly, when your children turn away from the faith when the relationship goes belly up at the last minute, what’s your heart's motivation behind asking God why?Click To Tweet

 

Is God listening: Conclusion

 

So, Is God listening? Yes, He is.

Can you ask him why? Yes, you can.

Will he answer? He always does.

The answer you receive may not be the answer you want to hear but trust that God has your best interest at heart. When he chooses to withhold something from you, that’s his business and his alone.

Habakkuk received several responses from God because he posed many other questions during the book. But the answer he got wasn’t the one that he wanted, yet; he accepted it.

He recognized that God is good no matter the outcome of the request.  The prophet would have liked for God to give His people a revival so they could repent of their sin, but God chose to send judgment.

God sent judgment from people who were deeper in sin than the Jews. This was a classic speck vs. log in the eye type of situation.

How is God trying to get through to you today?

What can you change in the way you communicate with God? Will you make the change?

Are you going to draw closer to God by asking him the difficult questions and waiting for his response?

Let me know in the comments.

If this blog has encouraged you, save it on Pinterest, share it with a friend, or post it on social media. Share the truth of God’s word with others because God listens.

If you are ready to listen to God, draw closer to Him, and grow spiritually, grab the Spiritual Growth System.

I love you with the love of Christ.

Keneesha 🙂