
We’ve all asked this question: “Does God hear my prayers?” Whether we are going through tough times and praying for God to give us some relief, or perhaps we have tough decisions facing us and we really want to hear from God, there are times when prayers to the Lord are urgent and we desperately want to hear from Him. What are we to think when we don’t hear from Him? Is He ignoring us? Has He stopped listening to us?
Let me clear the air on something. I don’t think that God speaks to us audibly. If He did, that would be revelation on par with Holy Scripture, and what you hear would be an addition to the Bible. Could He speak to us audibly? Of course, He’s God. I’m just giving my opinion on the matter. Take it as that – I’m not the last word on anything.
Does the Bible tell us that God answers prayer? Absolutely! Are there times when we don’t sense His presence? I believe so. How can we understand these things? Let’s take a look at some Scripture texts for answers.
God Promises to Hear the Prayers of His People
There are wonderful texts for us to consider when seeking answers to the question, “Does God hear my prayers.” Look at Psalm 34: “The eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous, and His ears are toward their cry for help” (NASB). Jesus Christ is our Savior and He hears our prayers.
Look at John 14:13-14: “Whatever you ask in My name, this I will do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it.” Some have taken this to mean that all I have to do is mention Jesus at the end of a prayer and he is obligated to deliver! This is not at all what is meant by this text. The plain meaning is that if what we ask is in the will of the Father, it will be done.
Do you know the will of God for your life every minute of the day? Sure, you can say God wants me to be holy and my prayer is that sins and temptation be removed so that I can be holy. And if God makes you perfect, why didn’t he make anyone else perfect before or after you? If his plan was simply to wave his hand and make everyone holy, he could certainly do that. But He hasn’t and we know that He doesn’t because sanctification is a process by which we are gradually made better, but never perfect. Not knowing the will of God, we lift our earnest prayers up to him and pray that we will be humble enough to accept the outcome that God gives us.
But I want to continue to encourage you to pray without ceasing – “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18). The New Testament echoes Psalm 34 here: 1 Peter 3:12 “For the eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous, and His ears attend to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against evildoers.” If you are a believer, he hears your prayers. Proverbs 15:29 tells us: “The Lord is far from the wicked, but He hears the prayer of the righteous.” No, God does not hear the prayers of the wicked, but he does hear ours.
“But if God hears our prayers, why does it sometimes feel like He’s silent? Let’s consider what the Bible says about possible hindrances to answered prayer.”
Barriers to God Hearing Our Prayers

The Scriptures describe some things that can keep us separate from God – not permanently – but they can be barriers to our prayers being received and answered. Isaiah 59:2 speaks to this: “But your wrongdoings have caused a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden His face from you so that He does not hear.” What is needed to move past this barrier? Repentance and confession of our sins. There are so many texts that speak of God’s forgiving grace in this matter, but I want to highlight a few from the Old and New Testament:
Isaiah 1:15-18 (NASB)
“So when you spread out your hands in prayer, I will hide My eyes from you; yes, even though you offer many prayers, I will not be listening. Your hands are covered with blood. Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your deeds from My sight. Stop doing evil, learn to do good; seek justice, rebuke the oppressor, obtain justice for the orphan, plead for the widow’s case. Come now, and let us debate your case,” says the Lord, ‘Though your sins are as scarlet, they shall become as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be like wool.'”
Proverbs 28:13 (NASB)
“One who conceals his wrongdoings will not prosper, but one who confesses and abandons them will find compassion.”
1 John 1:9 (NASB)
“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous, so that He will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
Acts 3:19 (NASB)
“Therefore repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord.”
Yes, sin can keep God from fellowship with us, but He is faithful and never abandons us. Does God feel distant? Look at yourself. Are you stuck in a cycle of sin that you are not working night and day to rid yourself of? Though your sins may be dark, God, through the Holy Spirit, can give you the strength you need to fight. You won’t always win, but you will be winning!
What about prayers that aren’t aligned with the will of God – in fact – that have nothing to do with God’s will for your life and his ultimate plan for redeeming his people? James 4:3 says: “You ask and do not receive, because you ask with the wrong motives, so that you may spend what you request on your pleasures.” Are you in a church that preaches prosperity and that God wants you to be wealthy? I urge you to consider leaving such a place. God’s promises are for his glory and your good. Do you always think of your good as something exciting; something that brings pleasure? Consider the will of God for his son Jesus. Death on a cross. Did he have to do it that way? You and I have no answer to that other than it was God’s will to do it that way.
Acts 2:23 (NASB)
“This Man [Christ], delivered over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men and put Him to death.” Yes, godless men did the act, but God’s sovereign action turned his Son over to those men to crucify him.
Even when our prayers are free from these barriers, we may still face times when God’s response isn’t what we expect. Why? Because His ways are higher than ours.
God’s Timing and Sovereignty in Answering Prayers

Unfortunately, we are seldom thinking about God’s ultimate plan for eternity when we pray. But trust me, He has one. And we won’t always know where we fit in those plans. In 2 Corinthians 12:8-9 Paul writes: “Concerning this I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might leave me[a messenger from Satan]. And He has said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.’ Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.” Do we respond that way when our prayers are not answered in the manner we hoped for?
God’s plans are perfect and according to his sovereign will, all things are in the place they are supposed to be and all things happen when they are supposed to happen. Solomon wrote: “He has made everything appropriate in its time. He has also set eternity in their heart, without the possibility that mankind will find out the work which God has done from the beginning even to the end” Ecclesiastes 3:11 NASB. The situation you are in right now has not surprised God. He ordained it – that is the essence of sovereignty. If God is dependent on us to make the first move before he responds, he is not sovereign nor are we. However, in that scenario, we hold the upper hand as God has to wait on us before he makes a move.
That description of God is not in the Bible.
The most famous of all Paul’s writings is perhaps Romans 8:28:
“And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” God causes. Don’t miss that. Yes, we have a will and we make decisions, but God is always ahead of our decisions.
How? Don’t ask me how the God of all creation does anything! You might as well ask an ant how nuclear power works.
Knowing that God hears us and works all things for good, how can we approach Him with confidence in our daily lives?
Confidence in God’s Love and Faithfulness

We need to pray and pray hard and pray with confidence that God hears us. Hebrews 4:16 reads: “Therefore let’s approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace for help at the time of our need.” Other translations tell us to approach God’s throne with boldness, as though we should be there pleading with him – and we should. He sent His son to die for those that would believe, how could He not open the doors to his sanctuary and welcome us in to ask for His mercy and grace and goodness.
In the Old Testament book of Lamentations we are reminded, “The Lord’s acts of mercy indeed do not end, for His compassions do not fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness” (3:22-23). Paul reminds us that where sin abounds, grace abounds even more (Romans 5:20). This does not promote sin that grace would grow, but it is to show us that God understands our human condition. He knows we fail and he is there for us, to help us back on our feet and encourage us to trust him in all matters of life, because he is good.
And what those moments when you want to seek the throne of God but the words fail you and just feel flustered? God has not left us alone in that situation either.
Romans 8:26-27 “Now in the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know what to pray for as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words; and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.”
We are never alone.
So, does God hear your prayers? The Bible is clear: Yes, He does. And He invites you to approach Him with confidence, no matter your circumstances.
Conclusion
Brother and sister in Christ, remember that your God loves you. The Lord Jesus Christ died to save us and He promises that all that come to Him will be raised up at the last day:
John 6:39-40
“And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that of everything that He has given Me I will lose nothing, but will raise it up on the last day. For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the last day.”
God’s promise to hear His children is unshakable. Keep praying, keep trusting, and keep seeking Him.
Do you have questions about your Christian walk? Feel free to reach out to me. I’m here to help if I can. Also consider checking out my youtube channel if you prefer a video format.
Blessings in Christ Jesus,
Wally