As we have been studying Jeremiah 29:11-13, we come to verse 12, from the New Living Translation: “In those days when you pray, I will listen.”
 
How many times have you prayed for something, a big something, and you’ve prayed earnestly, but your prayers seem unanswered? The marriage fell apart. The sickness did not go away. The job never materialized. The child walked away from the Lord.
 
Ever had one of those? I’m sure you’ve had. We all have.
 
Then how are we to understand this promise of God? “In those days when you pray, I will listen.”
 
First, let’s remember the context. Jeremiah was prophesying to the people of Judah about the coming Babylonian conquest. He also told them they would be exiled to Babylon for seventy years, but then, He would bring them home, and it is in that context that they received the promise. There was a plan, and they had to wait through it.
 
Second, let’s remember that God always listens to believer’s prayers. Solomon wrote, “The Lord is far from the wicked, but he hears the prayer of the righteous” (Proverbs 15:29, ESV). So, don’t get discouraged when it seems He’s not.
 
Third, as much as prayer is about the relationship between God and us, it is also an exercise of faith: faith in Him, faith in prayer, and faith during waiting. The people were going to have to wait a long time before they could come home. In the meantime, they had to have faith. They had to believe that God would still hear them. That goes for us today as we wait for answers to prayer. Have faith that He listens.
 
And don’t forget what Saint Teresa of Avila said: “More tears are shed over answered prayers than unanswered ones.”