Ayub 22:27

22:27 You will pray to him and he will hear you,

and you will fulfill your vows to him. ¹ 

Mazmur 50:15

50:15 Pray to me when you are in trouble! ² 

I will deliver you, and you will honor me!” ³ 

Mazmur 86:7

86:7 In my time of trouble I cry out to you,

for you will answer me.

Yesaya 41:17

41:17 The oppressed and the poor look for water, but there is none;

their tongues are parched from thirst.

I, the Lord, will respond to their prayers; ⁴ 

I, the God of Israel, will not abandon them.

[22:27]  ¹ tn The words “to him” are not in the Hebrew text, but are implied.

[50:15]  ² tn Heb “call [to] me in a day of trouble.”

[50:15]  ³ sn In vv. 7-15 the Lord makes it clear that he was not rebuking Israel because they had failed to offer sacrifices (v. 8a). On the contrary, they had been faithful in doing so (v. 8b). However, their understanding of the essence of their relationship with God was confused. Apparently they believed that he needed/desired such sacrifices and that offering them would ensure their prosperity. But the Lord owns all the animals of the world and did not need Israel’s meager sacrifices (vv. 9-13). Other aspects of the relationship were more important to the Lord. He desired Israel to be thankful for his blessings (v. 14a), to demonstrate gratitude for his intervention by repaying the vows they made to him (v. 14b), and to acknowledge their absolute dependence on him (v. 15a). Rather than viewing their sacrifices as somehow essential to God’s well-being, they needed to understand their dependence on him.

[41:17]  ⁴ tn Heb “will answer them” (so ASV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT).