Doubt & Devotion

Even when your faith feels weak, God hears every prayer with unwavering compassion.

Does God hear my prayers? What if I’m struggling with my faith? Will he still hear me?

Many people struggle with these universal questions. Yes, even believers. We pray, and it feels like no one is listening, as if our words bounce off the ceiling and reach deaf ears. There is one thing we can guarantee, though: God hears. Scripture repeatedly teaches that God is compassionate and is near to those who call on Him. 

He is especially attentive to His children when they are in trouble and promises to respond to them when they cry out to Him. The good news? God’s listening ear is rooted in His covenant of love with us. Whether or not we feel that God hears us, the truth remains that God listens to our prayers, and all we need to do is trust His unchanging character.

God Hears His Children

What kind of father does not hear when his children call upon him? Perhaps an evil father who has no ounce of compassion for his children. But God is not man. He is full of mercy and compassion. Because of that, we can rest assured that He always hears us and is ready to respond to our cry for help.

Psalm 34:17 says, “When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their troubles.” 

Are you a believer and follower of the Lord Jesus Christ? If yes, then this verse applies to you. Anyone who belongs to Christ is righteous, and when they cry for help, they can guarantee that the Lord hears. Are you in trouble? The Lord will deliver you. Maybe not immediately, but He surely will.

The Apostle John also writes that we can have the confidence to approach God and ask anything according to His will, and He will hear us. And since God is all-powerful, we don’t have to wish that he would answer, but know for sure that he will.

Jesus Himself encourages us to be passionate and persistent in prayer. In Matthew 7:7-8, he tells us to ask, seek, and knock. How can we receive an answer if we do not ask? When you pray, ask with humility and childlike faith. Do you sense some resistance? Knock, and when you knock, do so with persistence and perseverance. 

God’s door is meant to be open, especially to His children. You don’t need any tools to get inside. Jesus only said that you should knock. When you ask with humility, seek diligently, and knock without hesitation, God will have an answer for you.

When The Righteous Cry Out

There are many passages in Scripture emphasizing the truth that God hears the prayers of His children. Psalm 34:17 is one of them. It’s a good verse to meditate upon whenever you’re in doubt of whether God hears your prayers or not. David wrote these words as part of a larger Psalm that focuses on the blessings and security of those who fear the Lord.

David starts by saying, “The righteous cry out.” Notice the word “righteous.” The word “righteous” is not in the original text, but it is found in several places from verse 15 to verse 22. 

This tells us that David wasn’t referring to just anyone else. He was referring to those who believe in God and walk according to His commandments. Under the New Covenant, the righteous are those who have placed their trust in Jesus Christ. 

Have you placed your faith in Jesus and follow Him as your Lord and Savior? If yes, you have met the condition, and the promise of this verse applies to you. Which promise? The promise that the Lord will hear you when you cry out to Him. 

Psalm 34:17 is part of a Psalm David wrote after a dangerous experience while fleeing from Saul. His cry here is not merely a cry of sadness, but a cry for help and salvation from those who were trying to kill him. Whether or not your cry is as serious as David’s, you can rest assured that God will hear you and rescue you from trouble.

Why It Sometimes Feels Like God Isn’t Listening

Paul reminds us that we walk by faith, not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7). If it sometimes feels God doesn’t hear our prayers, it doesn’t automatically mean that He is absent. Several passages in the Bible encourage us to wait on the Lord and be of good courage. Waiting develops patience in us. It is also an opportunity for us to trust God more. Psalm 27:14, in particular, emphasizes this. While it exhorts us to wait, it doesn’t mean we should wait passively; rather, we need to have a confident trust that God is going to hear and respond.

Moreover, God can answer us in different ways. Sometimes, He answers with a quick yes. This is to reassure us that He listens and delights in giving us what we ask according to His will. And that’s one condition right there: “ask according to His will.” Still, not everything we ask according to His will is granted immediately. Sometimes, He wants us to learn how to wait. Other times, He responds with a no.

There are many reasons God doesn’t answer some of our prayers. Maybe we’re asking out of selfish ambition. Perhaps it’s not yet time for us to see answers to what we’re praying for. Other times, it’s because God has a better option. He is our wise Father, and as a Father, he cares for us deeply. God listens to our prayers. He knows what’s best for us and teaches us to wait for the proper time to get answers to our prayers.

Does God Hear the Prayers of Unbelievers?

We have already established that God hears believers when they pray because they are His children. Christians have access to the throne of grace because of what Christ has done on the cross. Thus, we can always approach God with boldness and confidence and present our requests to Him as little children. We no longer have a spirit of slavery that fears God as a divine authority, but now have the spirit of adoption that calls God “Father.”

We know that believers have a special relationship with God. He is our father and Jesus is our brother and bridegroom at the same time. We are citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven. We are a royal priesthood. As a result, God will always listen to our prayers and hear us. Yes, he listens even during times we don’t feel His presence.

As for unbelievers, God is not obligated to answer them, let alone hear their prayers. Psalm 66:18 says that if anyone cherishes sin in their heart, God will not listen to their prayers. People who have not been regenerated do not have the power to say no to sin. As a matter of fact, it was easy for us to cherish sin in our hearts before God saved and transformed us.

Proverbs 28:9 says that the prayer of those who turn their ear away from hearing the law is an abomination. John 9:31 cannot be any clearer. It explicitly says that God does not listen to sinners but listens to the godly person who does His will. Does this mean God doesn’t hear the cry of non-Christians at all?

No. When the Bible says God doesn’t listen to the prayers of unbelievers and doers of lawlessness, it doesn’t mean that God has shut his ears so that he cannot hear their voice when they call. It has something to do with relationship. Since unbelievers choose not to have a covenant with God, they don’t have the special privilege that believers do. 

However, it is not theologically correct to say that God doesn’t hear the prayers of the wicked. He does, not out of covenant relationship, but because He is a merciful and loving God. He responds to unbelievers who call to Him in repentance and cry out for mercy and forgiveness. Romans 10:13 says that anyone who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved. 

When the people of Nineveh believed Jonah’s message and repented, God heard them and spared them from destruction. Cornelius was a gentile centurion, but he feared God and worshiped Him. As a result, God sent Peter to his household, and he and his entire household believed in Jesus and were baptized. So, when does God hear and listen to unbelievers? When they call on God for mercy and seek repentance and salvation.

Confidence in a God Who Listens

No matter what season you are in, you can rest in the truth that God hears you. He listens attentively and is not disinterested. As our Heavenly Father, He will bend down to listen. As a Shepherd to His flock, he will care for every cry of His sheep. As your Redeemer, He invites you to draw near to him with boldness and confidence.

God is rich in grace and mercy, and He will not hesitate to bestow His blessings upon you if you approach Him in prayer. Even when you don’t feel like He is listening, seek Him with confidence. If you are struggling with sin, the more you should seek Him. His mercy is abundant, and He is longing to restore you. And when you don’t receive the answers to your prayers immediately, hold firmly to the truth that God is wise, and He works all things for the good of those who love Him. 

God is majestic, creator of the universe, and yet, He hears your voice and cares deeply for you. Keep asking, keep seeking, keep knocking. He is listening.