To have someone’s ear means more than the sound waves of your words traveled into their eardrums. To have someone’s ear means you have a certain amount of influence with the person you are talking to. In other words, they have classified what you are saying as creditable.
Pray, pray, pray, pray, pray, pray, pray, pray, pray, but do you have Jesus’ ear?
For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil. (I Peter 3:12)
When we pray, of course we want our prayers heard by Jesus. So, let’s take a closer look at the above verse to see what it takes for the Lord’s ears to be opened to our prayers? It says His ears are opened to the prayers of the righteous.
What does being righteous mean?
It means that we are in right standing with God; obedient to His Word. It means that we do our best to live a lifestyle that represents Him. Our prayers are sincere with good intentions. In order to do that, we have to ask God to thoroughly exam and expose all our hidden and impure motives. (Psalm 139:23, 24) In conjunction, we are responsible to keep our ears opened to receive any correction that God might want us to make.
Why pray if we don’t have Jesus’ ear?
And this is the confidence (the assurance, the privilege of boldness) which we have in Him: [we are sure] that if we ask anything (make any request) according to His will (in agreement with His own plan), He listens to and hears us. (I John 5:14 AMP)
First John gives us another requirement in order for our prayers to be heard. We must pray for God’s will to be done and—mean it! When we pray for His will to be done, our faith should soar with confidence because of verse 15:
And if (since) we [positively] know that He listens to us in whatever we ask, we also know [with settled and absolute knowledge] that we have [granted us as our present possessions] the request made of Him.
When the righteous pray (by faith, in the will of God) they have Jesus’ ear.