There was a time a few years ago when I lost several close family members. During my grieving time, I felt like I was wandering aimlessly. Often, I didn't pray or seek God. Sometimes I even doubted if He was there at all. I certainly felt like a 'bad Christian' at this time in many ways, and not very spiritual at all. Yet right when I started praying again and asking God for help in a crisis that came up, He was right there for me, with His peace, and help, and presence!
It's interesting to me that even at my most unworthy, unrighteous, unfaithful moments, when I ask God for help He is always right there and answers my prayer. He answers my prayer even if I'm not doing all the right things, or even believing all the right things!
It is just like the scripture says, "Call unto Me, and I will answer you." It doesn't say only if you are righteous, only if you confess all sin, only if you have good works and right motives, only if you have faith, only if you have trusted Christ, only if you are appropriating the righteousness of Christ...it just says "CALL for help! I WILL answer!"
Why does God answer our prayers? Is is because we have done or believed enough? We can admit that we aren't 'enough' in faith or in deeds when it comes right down to it.
Well, is it just because of Christ, as if God can only stand to look at us or hear us if we put a Jesus mask over our ugly face or poor deeds? Of course it is great that we have been given the righteousness of Christ, but now I'm thinking that was done more to help US to feel more confident in God's presence, not to make GOD more comfortable in ours! After all, Jesus was quite comfortable walking around on Earth with sinners, befriending them and eating with them, even dying for them!
So why does God answer our prayers?
Why is He there for us, even if we've been wandering away from Him for years?
Why does He still listen, and help, and care, and support, and strengthen and give?
It's because HE LOVES US!
I guess we will never come to the end of that love, or even begin to understand a small fraction of that love.
We are His created children, 'His offspring,' and He just plain loves us.
He says that we are enough to be loved, just by being His creation. God so loved THE WORLD!
We are worth it, we have dignity and we matter, without having to do or believe anything.
We already ARE loved by God.
We don't have to do or be anything to be loved and helped by God!
He already IS loving us, IS helping us!
And He is graciously helping and carrying us even when we don't pray, even when we fail to turn to Him. He NEVER fails us! Grace doesn't even wait for us to come, to ask, to pray...Grace just carries and supports us no matter what!
He is pure Grace and He is always there, always caring, always supporting, always working!
And HE is enough!
Enough to hold all our worries, fears, doubts, confusion, rebellion, wandering and error.
Enough to hold all our concern, care, petition, needs and weakness.
Enough to hold all our problems, all our family and friends, all our past, present and future, all our life!
He loves us, and He is enough to handle all that concerns us today.
He is enough. At our highest moments, and at our lowest moments.
And that is enough for everything!