There is a God who answers prayers: Jehovah El Shaddai. No request is too big or too small for Him. God is always ready to listen, but the key is whether we are ready to pray.
In Genesis 24:1-15, Abraham’s servant realized that God is near and responsive to our needs. Deuteronomy 4:7 emphasizes that no other nation has a God as close to them as the Lord is to us when we pray. Unlike other religions, we have a Living God who is always just a prayer away.
Psalm 8:1 says, “O Lord, our Lord, how excellent is Your name in all the earth.” God’s names are excellent; they are superior to all other names on earth. There are thousands of gods with various names, but God’s names stand above all others. His names are powerful and reveal His nature and attributes. They attest to the fact that He is alive; He is a Living God who is just a prayer away.
One of His names, Jehovah El Shaddai, reveals Him as the Almighty, the All-Sufficient, All-Powerful God who possesses all power and is mighty to protect us from every danger and evil. He is capable of satisfying and supplying all our needs. He fulfills His Word, covenant, and promises (Genesis 17:1, Psalm 91:1). He is our All in All, the One who is sufficient for everything and every need (Colossians 3:11).
Everyone has requests and needs, but it is who we take our requests to that makes all the difference. Many turn to various places and people who lack the power to save or help them. In 1 Kings 18:25-29, the prophets of Baal called upon their god from morning till evening. They shouted, danced around their altar, and even cut themselves with swords and spears until blood flowed from their bodies, yet there was no response. Their god did not answer them, nor did he pay them any attention. Their disappointment was profound because there is only one true and living God: Jehovah El Shaddai. He is near when we pray; He hears us when we call. He is the only God who does not disappoint those who put their trust in Him.
The prophets of Baal went through immense pain, but their god remained unmoved and unaffected. Thank God we have a Living God, Jehovah El Shaddai, who is touched by our infirmities and understands what we go through (Hebrews 4:15). He sends us help in our times of need, especially when we face tough and painful situations (Psalm 46:1). He makes our burdens His own, preferring to carry them rather than see us weighed down. No wonder He tells us to “cast thy burden upon the Lord, and He shall sustain thee; He shall never suffer the righteous to be moved” (Psalm 55:22).
While the prophets of Baal called on their god all day without an answer, Abraham’s servant called on Jehovah El Shaddai, and before he had finished praying (Genesis 24:15), while he was yet speaking (Isaiah 65:24), God answered him.
Just like Abraham’s servant, as you pray to Jehovah El Shaddai, He will manifest Himself in your life as a Living God. You will not pray and be disappointed. You will not wonder, “Where is God? Can He see me? Can He hear me? Can He handle this issue?” You will discover that God is just a prayer away. Just as God sent an angel to Daniel while he was still praying (Daniel 9:20-21), this year, God will send an angel with the answer to your prayer and your blessings while you are yet speaking.
It is only a Living God who can answer while we are still speaking. Even before we bring our requests to God, He already knows what we need. Matthew 6:8 tells us that our Father in heaven knows what we need before we even ask Him.
God never runs around trying to meet a need, nor is He confused when a request is brought to Him. As El Shaddai, the All-Sufficient God, He knows what we need even before we ask and has made provision for it ahead of time. The answers to our prayers are already with Him, waiting for us to voice our requests.
It wasn’t when Abraham’s servant prayed that God started considering a wife for Isaac; it had already been on His mind to bless Isaac with a wife. God had prepared someone suitable for him, so as soon as Abraham’s servant made the request, God released the wife He had been preparing.
As you devote yourself to prayer, all the answers, testimonies, and blessings that God has purposed in His heart for you, stored up in heaven, Jehovah El Shaddai will release them to you in Jesus’ mighty name. Amen!
PHOTO CREDIT: Allen Taylor on Unsplash
