מדרש אויף ישעיהו 65:24

“For who is a great nation that has God near it, as is the Lord our God in all of our calling to Him” (Deuteronomy 4:7).
“For who is a great nation…” – halakha: If a person of Israel recited Shema, is it permitted for him to pause after reciting Shema and then to pray? So taught the Sages: There are three acts that must be performed immediately [following another act]: Immediately following placing of the hands [on an animal that is about to be sacrificed] is its slaughter; immediately following redemption is prayer;¹⁷Redemption is the last of the blessings after Shema in the morning, and it is to be immediately followed by the Amida prayer. and immediately following washing the hands is the blessing.¹⁸The blessing recited over the bread. One who does so, what is his reward? Rabba bar Abbahu said: If he placed hands and slaughtered, he may be certain that his offering will be accepted. If he washed his hands and immediately recited the blessing, he may be certain that the Accuser will not denounce him during his meal. If he recited Shema and immediately prayed, he may be certain that his prayer will be heard.
Rabbi Yehuda ben Rabbi Simon said: You find idols that are near but distant, but the Holy One blessed be He is distant but near. How are idols near? An idolater crafts an idol and stands it in his house with him; it is near. From where is it derived that it is distant? As it is stated: “Even if one will call to it, it will not answer…” (Isaiah 46:7); that is distant. The Holy One blessed be He is distant and near. How so? Rabbi Yehuda ben Rabbi Simon said: From here to the heaven is a walking distance of five hundred years; that is distant. And from where is it derived that He is near? As a person stands and prays and contemplates within his heart, and the Holy One blessed be He is near, such that He hears his prayer, as it is stated: “You, who hear prayer, all flesh comes to You” (Psalms 65:3).
David said before the Holy One blessed be He: ‘Master of the universe, when the nations of the world come to pray before You, do not answer them, as they do not come to You wholeheartedly. Rather, they go to their idol, and it does not answer them. They see that their trouble is severe, and they come to You. You, too, should not answer them,’ as it is stated: “They cried out, but there was no savior; to the Lord, who did not answer them” (Psalms 18:42). What is “they cried out”? They cried out to their idol. ‘And when they come to You, “to the Lord, who did not answer them.”¹⁹The word “to [al]” is written with an ayin. The midrash here expounds it as though it were written al with an alef, such that it means “do not.” The verse can then be translated: “Lord, do not answer them.” But when Israel calls to you, immediately, hear our prayer, as it is stated: “When I call, answer me, God of my righteousness”’ (Psalms 4:2). The Holy One blessed be He said to him: ‘What did you say, “when I call, answer me”? As you live, I will answer you before you call Me, as it is stated: “Before they call, I will answer” (Isaiah 65:24), as I do not have another nation other than you.’ From where is this derived? It is from what we read regarding the matter: “For who is a great nation.”

Another matter: “As is the Lord our God” – this is what the verse said: “But as for me, let my prayer come to You, Lord, at a time of favor” (Psalms 69:14). Rabbi Ḥanina bar Pappa asked Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥman: ‘What is [the meaning of] that which is written: “But as for me, let my prayer come to You, Lord, at a time of favor”?’ He said to him: ‘The gates of prayer are sometimes open and sometimes locked, but the gates of repentance are always open.’ [Rabbi Ḥanina] said to him: ‘From where is this derived?’ [He answered:] ‘As it is written: “You answer us justly with awesome deeds, God of our salvation, shelter of all ends of the earth and the farthest sea” (Psalms 65:6) – just as a ritual bath is sometimes open and sometimes locked, so, the gates of prayer are sometimes open and sometimes locked. But just as the sea is always open, so, the hand of the Holy One blessed be He is always open to accept penitents.’ Rav Anan said: The gates of prayer, too, are never locked, as it is written: “As is the Lord our God in all of our calling [korenu] to Him.” Calling is nothing other than prayer, as it is stated: “It will be, before they call, I will answer” (Isaiah 65:24). Rabbi Ḥiyya Rabba said: It is written: “Put your hope in the Lord; be strong and let your heart take courage, and put your hope in the Lord” (Psalms 27:14) – pray, and pray again, and there will be a time when it will be granted to you.
Another matter: “But as for me, let my prayer [come to You, Lord, at a time of favor]” (Psalms 69:14) – David, because he was an individual, said: “A time of favor.” But the prayer of the community never returns unanswered. That is, “as is the Lord our God in all of our calling to Him.”

What is, “in all of our calling to Him”? The Rabbis said: There is prayer that is answered after forty days. From whom do you derive this? From Moses, as it is written: “I fell before the Lord, as at the first, forty days…” (Deuteronomy 9:18).³³The following verse concludes: “And the Lord heeded me that time as well” (Deuteronomy 9:19). There is prayer that is answered after twenty days. From whom do you derive this? From Daniel, as it is written: “I ate no tasty bread…until the completion of three weeks of days” (Daniel 10:3), and then he said: “Lord, hear; Lord, forgive…” (Daniel 9:19). There is prayer that is answered after three days. From whom do you derive this? From Jonah, as it is written: “Jonah was in the innards of the fish [for three days and three nights]” (Jonah 2:1). And then: “Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the innards of the fish” (Jonah 2:2). There is prayer that is answered after one day. From whom do you derive this? From Elijah, as it is written: “[It was at the time of offering up the afternoon offering] that Elijah the prophet approached, and he said…[Today it will be known that You are God in Israel]” (I Kings 18:36). There is prayer that is answered after one time period.³⁴This is one twelve-hour period, either one day or one night. From whom do you derive this? From David, as it is written: “But as for me, let my prayer come to You, Lord, at a time of favor” (Psalms 69:14). There is a prayer that even before it is expressed from his mouth, the Lord will answer, as it is stated: “It will be, before they call, I will answer” (Isaiah 65:24).