Psalm 4: God - The Faithful Answerer of Prayer

My phone at my house rings constantly. When we first got our phone line we didn't have an answering machine, so I would always answer. The problem was that the calls were never for me. They were always for someone who previously had my phone number and, more often than not, it was either a creditor or some other automated call. Well, to remedy the situation, I quickly bought an answering machine. Now I never answer my phone and always let the machine get it. If it is someone calling for me, I will hear them begin to leave a message and will pick up the phone, as long as they actually do try to leave a message and not just hang up. It is possible that I miss some legitimate calls in this manner, but I hate picking up the phone only to hear the voice of yet the same creditor or automation calling for the hundredth time.

Praise God that He does not have an answering machine! In Psalm 4 we read:

   "Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness!
        You have given me relief when I was in distress.
        Be gracious to me and hear my prayer!
    O men, how long shall my honor be turned into shame?
        How long will you love vain words and seek after lies?
    But know that the LORD has set apart the godly for himself;
        the LORD hears when I call to him."
(Psalm 4:1-3 ESV)

 Praise God that He hears our prayers! He, unlike me, does not screen His "calls" nor is He ever "away" and unable to hear us. God is always listening and He hears the prayers of those who cry out to Him. When we pray, we can be absolutely sure that God hears us. In Matthew, Jesus tells us that not only does God hear us but

    "your Father knows what you need before you ask him."
(Matthew 6:8 ESV)

 If I truly believed this; If I truly believed that God hears my every prayer, how much more would I pray! Think about it. The God of the universe, the God who created the farest galaxies, the stars that shine in the night sky, and our world and every thing in it, from the highest mountain to the smallest atom, hears us. He hears us when we laugh with joy, and He hears us when we cry with pain. He hears our smallest of thoughts, and our greatest laments.

So call to Him, and rest assured that you will not get the answering machine.