Summary
God Hears Us
At the tomb of Lazarus, before any miracle is performed, Jesus lifts His eyes and prays, "Father, I thank you for having heard me. I knew that you always hear me" John 11:41-42. The Greek verb for "having heard" is in the aorist tense—a past action with continuing effect—telling us Jesus had already prayed about Lazarus and already received the Father's answer. He arrives at the tomb knowing exactly what the Father's will is, which is why He can confidently command, "Take away the stone." Long before, He had told the disciples, "This illness does not lead to death; rather it is for God's glory, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it" John 11:4.
Notice also Jesus' emotion. Twice the text says He was "greatly disturbed" (John 11:33, John 11:38). The Greek can be rendered "irate." Jesus is angry—not sinfully, for He is without sin—but indignant at what death has done to those He loves. Anger itself is not sin, though it can become sin; here it is the righteous response of the Lord of life to the last enemy. And then, having given thanks for being heard, He cries out, "Lazarus, come out," and the dead man walks from the grave.
The promise that the Father always hears the Son extends, by grace, to all who are in Christ. "When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their troubles" Psalm 34:17. "Before they call I will answer; while they are yet speaking I will hear" Isaiah 65:24. "Evening and morning and at noon I utter my complaint and moan, and he hears my voice" Psalm 55:17. "But as for me, I will look to the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation; my God will hear me" Micah 7:7.
But what about when God answers differently than we hoped? We sometimes say, "He heard my prayer," meaning the answer matched our request. Does it follow that when the answer is no, He didn't hear? Not at all. Sometimes God says no, sometimes wait, sometimes He answers in a way we did not anticipate. David asked to build the temple and was told no. Elijah, dejected and seeing no fruit from his preaching, asked to die; God said no. Moses tried to refuse the call to lead Israel out of Egypt; God said no. Each prayer was heard; each was answered according to a wisdom higher than the one praying.
It is tempting in such moments to wonder whether God hears us but does not really listen—whether our prayers go in one ear and out the other. The story of Bartimaeus answers that fear Mark 10:46-52. In a noisy crowd leaving Jericho, a blind beggar cries, "Son of David, have mercy on me." Jesus stops. He hears, and He listens. He calls the man forward, asks what he wants, and restores his sight. The Psalmist prays in just this confidence: "Hear my cry, O God, listen to my prayer" Psalm 61:1-2.
How can we be sure God not only hears but truly listens? Because we know His heart. He has revealed Himself in His Son, sent to die on the cross and rise from the empty tomb. The God who redeems, reconciles, and forgives is the same God to whom we pray. We can trust His answer—even when it is no, even when it is wait—because we know the heart from which the answer comes. That is the third thanksgiving Jesus offers in the Gospels, after thanks for the Father's perfect will and thanks for the Father's provision: thanks that the listening Father hears Him, and through Him, hears us God Hears Us - 11-23-25.
Video citations
- God Hears Us - 11-23-25 — Job in your Bibles, please, for our time in God's Word to the 11th chapter of the gospel of John, John the 11th chapter if you're using a Pew edition of Holy Scripture. You're going to find that in…