"From The Heart"

"Hear my prayer, O God; give ear to the words of my mouth." (Psalms 54:2) Just because you have some knowledge of God, does not mean that you have access to Him, nor does it mean that God will listen to your prayers; access to God is not based upon knowing that He is there, but is based upon a relationship with Him, and crying out to Him as if He listens. Here is where we come to some area of disagreement among those that are religious, because there are some that will say only certain types of people can get God's attention, as in, people that are saved, or people that have been ordained, or people that belong to certain religions; as if God has a set of rules for those that can cry out to Him. I for one, do not agree with the notion that God does not hear those that outside of a certain class of people; but it's more about the attitude of the heart when the person is speaking, because there are many instances in the Bible where pagans were heard by God, it just mattered whether or not they were sincerely speaking to God as someone who needed His help, and as if they were dependent upon His mercy. That said, crying out as a stranger, and crying out as His child, are two entirely different forms of communication; one cries out in hopes that He will hear, while the other cries out in assurance that He not only hears, but that He will answer; it may not be the answer that we want, but He always does answer in one way or another. That is why relationship matters when it comes to talking with God; not that He will not hear those outside of the family, because He can; but when it comes to hearing the voice of His children, there is a difference; not only is there a difference to His listening, but there is a difference to the petitions being made; one is that of an outsider speaking to a God that they hope will listen, while the other is that of a child speaking to a Father. There is a big difference in not only the way the communication is formed, but there is a big difference in the assurance He is listening; and that assurance of Him listening adds to the sincerity of the petition, which in turn adds to the assurance in our hearts. Is it not wonderful to be able to access our Heavenly Father with such assurance? What a privilege we have been given in Jesus Christ, that not only do we have access, but we have the assurance that our Father listens...
"Seeing then that we have such hope, we use great plainness of speech: and not as Moses, which put a vail over his face, that the children of Israel could not steadfastly look to the end of that which is abolished: but their minds were blinded: for until this day remaineth the same vail untaken away in the reading of the Old Testament; which vail is done away in Christ. But even unto this day, when Moses is read, the vail is upon their heart. Nevertheless when it shall turn to the Lord, the vail shall be taken away. Now the Lord is Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord." (2 Corinthians 3:12-18)