Jesus Listens
2021 Sarah Young
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Unless otherwise noted, Scripture quotations taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version, NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.Zondervan.com. The NIV and New International Version are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.
Scripture quotations marked AMP are taken from the Amplified Bible ( AMP ). Copyright 2015 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. www.Lockman.org
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Scripture quotations marked NASB on pages vii, and 127 are taken from the New American Standard Bible ( NASB ). Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. www.Lockman.org.
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The Scripture quotations marked NRSV are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Bible. Copyright 1989 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Scripture quotations marked TLB are taken from The Living Bible. Copyright 1971. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, a Division of Tyndale House Ministries, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
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ISBN 978-1-4002-1558-4 (hardcover)
ISBN 978-1-4002-1560-7 (audiobook)
ISBN 978-1-4002-1559-1 (eBook)
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I dedicate this book to JesusImmanuelwho is with us continually, listening to all our prayers. The Bible assures us that Jesus is able to save forever those who come to God through Him, because He always lives to intercede for us with our Father-God (Hebrews 7:25). And when we pray, the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express (Romans 8:26). How great and glorious is our triune God!
I am thankful to work with such a gifted, dedicated team. Laura Minchew, my delightful publisher, shepherds my publishing so creatively and effectively. Jennifer Gott, Associate Publisher of Gift Books, works diligently and patiently to pull everything together. Kris Bearss, my faithful editor, knows my work wonderfully well and edits my writing with just the right touch. Finally, I want to thank Joey Paul, my first publisher, who came up with the idea for Jesus Listens. Im blessed to have the help of all these talented friends!
I love Jesus beautiful invitation to us: Come to Me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest (Matthew 11:28 NASB ). My hope is that this book, Jesus Listens, will encourage you to approach Him confidently and joyfullyfinding peaceful rest in His Presence. Its such a blessing to know that Jesus listens to every one of our prayers! He loves us perfectly and is constantly caring for us, whether were aware of His Presence with us or not.
All of my devotional books, including this one, are designed to help you grow closer to Jesus. This quest is my deepest longingfor you and for me. As you may know, I wrote my previous books from the perspective of Jesus speaking to you, the reader. But Jesus Listens is written from the vantage point of you praying to God. I hope you will not only read these prayers but make them your ownusing them to guide you as you express your heartfelt longings to the Lord.
You will find prayers of peace, joy, and hope throughout this book. As I was writing, I drew on themes from Jesus Calling: Enjoying Peace in His Presence, Jesus Always: Embracing Joy in His Presence, and Jesus Today: Experience Hope Through His Presence. Other topics are also emphasized in the prayersespecially Jesus boundless, unfailing Love for all who belong to Him.
Jesus Listens contains prayers for every day of the year. They are devotional prayers: designed to lead you into deeper, richer, more continual communion with God. These daily prayers are meant to be a starting point for your other prayershelping you to enjoy your time with Jesus and bring all your concerns to Him.
I admit that praying doesnt come naturally to us; in fact, it is frequently viewed as a chore. Prayer certainly does require effort, but we need to remember that communicating with the Creator and Sustainer of this vast universe is an amazing privilege! Jesus sacrificial death for our sins opened the way for us to commune freely and fully with our Father-God. The moment Jesus died, the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom (Matthew 27:51). So our unrestricted access to God in prayer is a glorious, blood-bought privilege!
Im thankful that God uses our prayers not only to change circumstances but to change us. We bring our prayer requests to Him, trusting that He hears and He cares. As we devote time to communicating with Jesus and enjoying His Presence, we gradually become more like Him.