My Answer: There are no limits for God
Q: How can God possibly keep track of all the prayers that people offer up every day? There must be hundreds of millions of them. I know God is bigger than we are, but this seems impossible. — Mrs. A. McC.
A: If God were just like we are (only somewhat bigger), then you might be right. After all, you and I are limited, and it’s easy for us to think that God also must be limited.
But God isn’t limited! We are finite, but he is infinite. We are limited, but he is unlimited. We occupy only one small corner of the universe, but he is everywhere. And no matter how much we think we know, our knowledge is still very small, like one grain of sand on the seashore, but his is complete and total. The Psalmist exclaimed, “How great are your works, Lord, how profound your thoughts!” (Psalm 92:5).
But something else about God is infinite — and that is his love. If God didn’t love us, we wouldn’t have any reason to think he is concerned about us or hears our prayers. But he does love us, and the proof is that he sent his only son into the world to save us. Jesus did this by giving his life for us on the cross. Have you committed your life to him?
Don’t worry about God losing track of your prayers; he won’t. God is far greater than that, and you can trust his promise to hear your prayers and answer them according to his will. In fact, God delights in our prayers, just as parents delight in their child’s words. The Bible says, “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us” (1 John 5:14).
*
Q: Does it do any good to argue with someone about religion? My cousin says he’s a doubter, and he loves to get into debates with me about God, but I’m not sure I’m doing him any good. Should I just quit trying to answer his questions? — M.M.
A: As long as your cousin is willing to ask questions, you should be willing to answer them — even if you don’t seem to be making any impact. After all, if you ignore his questions, he may conclude that you don’t have any answers, and that he’s right and you are wrong. The Bible says, “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have” (1 Peter 3:15).
At the same time, you also may need to challenge your cousin by asking him if he’s honestly seeking answers, or if he just wants to argue. Occasionally I’ve met people who wanted to ask me questions they knew were hard to answer, but in reality they weren’t really interested in the answers.
Instead, they simply wanted to keep God at arm’s length (so to speak), and their questions were a way of doing that. Someday, you might ask your cousin: If all your questions were answered, would you be willing to give your life to Christ?
The most important thing you can do, however, is to pray for your cousin. What should you pray? Pray first of all that he will realize he needs God. Pray, too, that God will convict him of his sin and his pride. Pray especially that God will turn his heart and mind to Christ. And pray for yourself, that you will be an example to him of Christ’s love and truth.
(Send your queries to “My Answer,” c/o Billy Graham, Billy Graham Evangelistic Assn., 1 Billy Graham Parkway, Charlotte, N.C., 28201; call 1-(877) 2-GRAHAM, or visit https://www.billygraham.org.)