Followed By Mercy
The Followed By Mercy Podcast
Real Grace, Honest Hope
You might notice a new name and a fresh look, but the heart behind this podcast is the same. After years as the World Evangelism Podcast, I sensed God leading me to a deeper, more personal path centered on His relentless mercy and the kind of honest hope that can reach into every hurting place. That’s why this show is now called Followed By Mercy Podcast. The format may shift, and the tone may be a bit more personal, but my mission hasn’t changed: I still believe the world desperately needs to hear the good news of God’s love in Jesus Christ. You are welcome here if you’ve been with me from the beginning or just found us now.
What if God’s love is more personal, stubborn, and relentless than you ever imagined?
Welcome to The Followed By Mercy Podcast, where we get honest about pain, hope, and the kind of grace that finds you right where you are, five days a week. This isn’t about religious performance or church routines. It’s for anyone who’s ever felt worn out, unseen, or unsure if they belong in the story of God’s love. Every conversation is rooted in this reality: God loves you right now, just as you are, and He isn’t giving up on you.
Here’s what you’ll find in every episode:
Experience God’s Relentless Love
Every show starts by reminding you that the Shepherd knows your name, cares about your story, and isn’t offended by your failures or questions. This is personal—it’s about God’s unwavering affection for you.
Find Your Place in His Heart
Once you grasp how fiercely you’re loved, sharing that love with others doesn’t feel forced. It becomes the most natural thing in the world. Real grace overflows.
Prayer That Changes You
We pray together—not just for the world “out there,” but for the battles and hopes you’re carrying right now. These prayers are honest, rooted in Scripture, and meant for hearts that need a gentle touch from the Shepherd.
Discover Your Unique Role
Whether you’re called to go, give, serve, or show kindness in your corner of the world, God’s mercy meets you where you are. You’re not just a bystander. You are His beloved, invited into the story He’s writing.
When life knocks the wind out of you, this is a place to catch your breath. You’ll hear the encouragement that meets you on your hardest days, and your honest questions will be welcomed. No pretending, no heavy-handed advice—just the reminder that your Shepherd is right there with you, walking every step with you, even when you feel like giving up.
Why does this matter? Because some days, it feels like nobody sees you or cares what you’re going through. But the truth is, you have a Shepherd who never takes His eyes off you, lets you slip through the cracks, and never gives up on you. That kind of love can put you back on your feet, and it might be the hope someone else is waiting to see in you, too.
If you’re longing for more than just religious talk—if you want to know you’re not alone and that God’s mercy is following you all the way home, you’re in the right place. Whether you listen in the car, on a walk, or in a quiet moment, let every episode remind you: God’s mercy is after you right now, ready to bring real grace and honest hope.
Subscribe today and join a community to discover what happens when loved people become loving people. The journey’s just beginning, and there’s a place for you here.
Followed By Mercy
Prayer is a Relationship, Not a Report
Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.
Ever felt a little "weird" asking God for something He already knows you need? You’re not alone.
In this episode, W. Austin Gardner dives into a question that hits every believer: If God knows our thoughts before we speak (Psalm 139), why bother praying out loud?
Discover why prayer isn't about giving God information—it's about intimacy. From the "movement toward God" in the Greek language to Jesus’ own prayers, Austin explains how prayer is the natural expression of a Father who simply wants to share life with you.
Key Moments:
- 0:00 - The "weird" question: Why pray?
- 2:15 - What Psalm 139 says about God’s knowledge.
- 4:30 - Jesus and the "Intentional Tension" of prayer.
- 7:10 - Relationship vs. Religious Technique.
- 10:45 - How prayer transforms us, not God.
#Prayer #Faith #Jesus #WAustinGardner #RelationshipWithGod #BiblicalTeaching #Grace
If God is all-knowing, is prayer a waste of time? W. Austin Gardner challenges the idea of prayer as a "religious duty" and reframes it as a relational movement toward a Father who loves you. Learn how to stop informing God and start sharing life with Him.
- Purpose of prayer in the Bible
- Relationship with God vs religion
- W. Austin Gardner podcast
- Biblical meaning of prayer
- Psalm 139 prayer teaching
- Does prayer change God?
Why Pray If God Already Knows? | Biblical Prayer Tips | Austin Gardner
Why do we pray if God knows our needs? W. Austin Gardner explores the relational heart of prayer and why God wants to share life with you.
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God Knows Before We Ask
Jesus Prays At Lazarus’ Tomb
Prayer As Relationship And Nearness
What Prayer Does In Us
Simple Daily Prayer And Closing
Austin GardnerWell, you know, I'm always studying my Bible and thinking and praying and meditating on how good God is. And today I just crazy thoughts hit my head all the time. I'm probably a little different, a little weird. But I I just said, why pray if God already knows everything? Why say it out loud if God can read my thoughts? Well, I want to welcome you to the podcast and I want to talk about that. If God already knows everything, why should we pray? The Bible clearly teaches that God knows our thoughts. He knows what we think before we even think it, before the words can ever come out of our mouth. So what is it? Why are we praying? Why do we pray? Does God just need us to tell him things? Are we informing of what he doesn't already know? No, you know that's not true. Or is prayer something totally different? I just want to look through the Bible, check out some teachings of Jesus and the Hebrew and the Greek language a little bit and all the scriptures, and I just want to look at it and think about it with you just for a few minutes. Just for a few minutes. I don't know if it's ever crossed your mind, but you're gonna figure this out today. Prayer is a whole lot more than a religious duty, it is a relationship with our Father. It's a relationship with God. Yes, yes, he knows. Let me read this to you from Psalm 135. Excuse me, David says, Lord, you have searched me and known me. You know when I sit down and when I rise up. You understand my thoughts from far off. God, you know my paths. You scrutinize everything by getting up, my laying down. You are intimately acquainted with all of my ways. Before a word's ever in my tongue, you know it completely. Think about that. Before a word ever gets to your tongue, God already knows it. He knows our thoughts and our feelings and our intentions. He knows what we're about to say before we ever say it. He knows us more deeply than we know ourselves. And Jesus said that in Matthew chapter 6. He said something like this your father knows what you have need of before you ask. So there comes an obvious question. So why ask? I've been just thrilled to meditate on this in the last few days. Right after you ask Jesus, right after that, Jesus is there and that he teaches the disciples how to pray. He says, pray like this. So Jesus clearly believes two things at the same time. He knows that we have needs, and we are still supposed to pray, and there's an intentional tension there. The Bible is inviting us to rethink what prayer really is. We are commanded to pray. The Bible doesn't treat prayer as optional, it's a constant call for the believer to pray. We are to pray without ceasing. In everything, by prayer and supplication, we're to make our requests known to God. We're to approach the throne of God with boldness, the throne of grace with confidence. So we're supposed to talk to God and do so regularly. But here's something interesting. If prayer was mainly informing God, then that wouldn't make any sense because God already knows everything. That tells us something important. Prayer is not about giving God information, it has to be about something else, something totally different. Jesus gives us insight into the purpose of prayer. In John 11, Jesus is going to raise Lazarus from the dead, and he prays out loud. But this is basically what he said. Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew you'll always hear me, but I said this for the purpose or the benefit of people standing around here. Jesus knew the Father heard him. The prayer was never to inform God, it was relationship. It was about expressing relationship. It's Jesus living in constant awareness of his relationship with the Father. Prayer is a natural expression of that relationship. That's incredibly important. Prayer in the Bible is not a religious technique, it's a communication within a relationship. The Hebrew word, translated prayer, is a word used in relationships, and it's connected to the actions between friends. It's the idea of intervening, meditating, or entering into a conversation with God. It's not merely words, it's being engaged with God. And that's what isn't what we want to do. In ancient Hebrew thinking, you know, Bible people thinking, it's relational. God's not distant and detached. All through the Bible, we find God's people reacting with him personally. Adam walked with God, Abraham spoke with God, Moses saw God face to face. And that's the context. We are participating in our relationship with the living God. That thrills my heart. I've been meditating on that. I'm also working on the covenants, just to be honest with you. I'm thrilled with all I'm learning about the God of heaven. In the New Testament, the word uh for prayer means literally to move toward God in prayer. Uh it's toward, it's movement toward God. It's a relational movement, it's drawing near. It's like Hebrews 4.16, we draw near the throne of grace. It's relationship, not information. So prayer is not about persuading God. It's not about informing God. It is participating in a relationship we already have with Him. I love to go outside and I walk around. Oh, chilly today, by the way, as I'm recording this, but I walk around and I just talk to him. I just talk to him. I even asked him just a few minutes ago before I came in here to record this. I said, I don't know why you want to hear my voice. I don't know. I don't know why you love me like that. Just think about how he loves us. You know, Jesus compares prayer to a child speaking with a loving father, but a good father already knows what the child needs. But the child still needs to talk to the parent. Why? Not information, relationship. It's a relationship between God and his children. God invites us to speak with him. He wants communication with us, he wants communion with us. So when we step it back into the Bible and look at the pattern, God has consistently desired relationship with humanity. In Genesis, God walks with Adam. In Exodus, Moses speaks with God as a friend. In the gospel, Jesus calls his followers friends. In Revelation, God ends with God dwelling with humanity forever. It's about restoring the relationship between God and humanity. Prayer fits into that exactly. It's not a spiritual discipline. It is a spiritual discipline, but it's not, that's just not what it is. It's a relationship. So what does it really do? Prayer gets our hearts lined up with God, opens our lives to his presence, expresses our trust and our dependence, and it deepens our relationship with him. Prayer transforms us, not God. When we pray, we become aware of God's presence and we begin to see life from his perspective. Prayer shapes our hearts. So what does this mean for our daily lives? First, it means prayer doesn't have to be complicated. It's simply a conversation with God. It's a relationship. It doesn't have to be perfect. God already knows your thoughts. He already knows what you need. And it can happen anywhere. You can talk to God while you're walking, driving, working, sitting quietly, laying in the bed at night. Prayer is simply your heart in line, talking to God. So why pray if God already knows everything? Because prayer is not about informing God, it's about developing your relationship. God knows your thoughts, He knows your needs. But God wants to share life with you. Blows my mind. He wants to share life with me. He wants to share life with me. He wants to share life with you. It's God's invitation for you to share life with him. When we understand prayer that way, it stops feeling like a religious obligation. It starts feeling like what it really is: a living relationship with the living God who loves us. Man, I am so happy I get to talk to you a little bit all along. And I hope you'll share this. I really, I really am sharing this with you. I was asked the other day, why do you have a podcast? Why do you have YouTube? And there are a lot of reasons. But more than anything, I just want to share with you what God's teaching me, and I think it might be a blessing to you. So I pray you'll take this and use it and grow from it. Just walk with Jesus. Love you. Thank you so very much.
