God Hears, and God Knows

“Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name give glory, for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness! Why should the nations say, “Where is their God?” 3 Our God is in the heavens; he does all that he pleases. 4 Their idols are silver and gold, the work of human hands. 5 They have mouths, but do not speak; eyes, but do not see. 6 They have ears, but do not hear; noses, but do not smell. 7 They have hands, but do not feel; feet, but do not walk; and they do not make a sound in their throat. 8 Those who make them become like them; so do all who trust in them. (Psalm 115:1-8 ESV)

Understanding Psalm 115 is critical to our faith and our holding the assurances God has given us of His love and sovereignty. Here, the writer is telling us of those who live in idolatry. live with no hope. Idols hear nothing; they are not alive, and they cannot answer prayers. Those who pray to them, who idolize them, pray for deliverance, happiness, or an intervention that will never come.

The God of Israel, our God, Yahweh, heard them, delivered them, fed them, and cared for them. This knowledge should bring us comfort and security, dispelling any fear that we are alone. We do not need to seek out something or someone to quell our feelings, our hopes, or fears. When we doubt God, we become fearful, turn from God, shake our fist at God rejecting Him. We do this because we do not hold on to the truth. We fail to see what is before us from a heavenly perspective. All we see is what is us a ground level view, forgetting who reigns above us.

During the dark early days, the Israelites had no idea what God was doing with and for them. But Moses knew, Moses remembered, and Moses trusted. Moses knew, as do we, that God hears, He knows, and He is merciful.

The Bible clearly states that God hears us. In Psalm 55:17, the Psalmist writes, “Evening and morning and at noon I utter my complaint and moan, and he hears my voice.” God hears, and God knows. In the darkest of the night, when all appears lost, God knows, and God hears. In Proverbs 15:29, we see the words, “The Lord is far from the wicked, but he hears the prayer of the righteous.” God hears the righteous; He hears his saints on earth.

In Jonathan Edward's sermons of 1735,36, and 52 on Psalm 65:2, Edwards wrote, “In the verse of the text, there is a prophecy of the glorious times of the gospel, when “all flesh shall come” to the true God, as to the God who heareth prayer, which is here mentioned as what distinguishes the true God from the gods to whom the nations prayed and sought, those gods who cannot hear and cannot answer their prayer. The time was coming when all flesh should come to that God who doth hear prayer. — Hence, we gather this doctrine, that it is the character of the Most High, that he is a God who hears prayer.”  

Two hundred and eight-nine years ago, Edwards was preaching the same thing we remember today, and Edwards was preaching what Moses knew thousands of years ago. The Bible is truly consistent, as is the foundational interpretation and preaching of the text through the years.

God hears and knows, so do not turn from Him in times of despair, anger, or disappointment. You see what is before you, but like a man in a tower, God sees you and what lies ahead of you until you return home. God knows, God hears, and God is ever faithful. Trust in the Lord.

Grace and Peace!