The simple answer is yes, God does hear our prayers. As Christians, we can be confident that when we pray to God, He hears us. The Bible gives us many assurances of this truth. Here is an overview of what the Bible says about God hearing our prayers:
God promises to hear our prayers
There are many verses in Scripture where God directly promises to hear our prayers when we call upon Him. For example:
“Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known” (Jeremiah 33:3).
“If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land” (2 Chronicles 7:14).
“And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us” (1 John 5:14).
These kinds of promises tell us that God is eager to hear His children when they pray. He delights in our prayers and stands ready to hear our cries for help, our confessions of sin, our pleas for forgiveness, and our requests for provision. When we pray, we have the assurance that God is listening.
Examples of God hearing prayers
The Bible gives us many examples of times when God demonstrated that He heard people’s prayers. For instance, God heard:
- Hagar’s cry of distress in the wilderness (Genesis 21:17-19)
- Abraham’s plea for Sodom (Genesis 18:23-32)
- The cries of the Israelites when they were slaves in Egypt (Exodus 2:23-25)
- Hannah’s prayer for a son (1 Samuel 1:9-20)
- David’s prayers of repentance after his sin with Bathsheba (Psalm 51)
- Solomon’s prayer at the dedication of the temple (1 Kings 8:22-53)
- Jonah’s prayer from inside the fish (Jonah 2:1-10)
The list could go on and on. Over and over, we see examples in Scripture that demonstrate that when God’s people pray, He listens and responds to their cries for help and their petitions.
Reasons God hears our prayers
Not only does the Bible assure us God hears our prayers and give us examples, it also explains why God is able and willing to hear us. Here are some reasons the Bible gives for why God hears our prayers:
- He is a prayer-hearing God. 1 Peter 3:12 says plainly, “For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer.” God by nature is a prayer-hearing God.
- He is our Father. Jesus taught us to pray by addressing God as “Our Father” (Matthew 6:9). What loving father does not desire to hear his children when they call on him?
- He cares about our needs. 1 Peter 5:7 encourages believers, “Cast all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.” God hears us because He genuinely cares about our worries and needs.
- He wants relationship with us. Prayer is communicating with God. He desires relationship with us, so He inclines His ear to hear what’s on our hearts through prayer.
- He has made us His friends. Jesus said in John 15:15, “No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends.” God hears His friends when they speak to Him through prayer.
This is not at all an exhaustive list, but it gives some of the key reasons the Bible identifies for why God is both eager and able to hear our prayers at all times.
How God hears our prayers
Of course, we know that God does not literally have physical ears; He is Spirit (John 4:24). So how does God “hear” our prayers? Scripture indicates in several ways that God is omniscient and sovereign, and therefore always aware of our prayers:
- He knows our thoughts even before we speak them (Psalm 139:4).
- No creature is hidden from His sight, all are naked and exposed before Him (Hebrews 4:13).
- He knows what we need before we even ask Him (Matthew 6:8).
- He sustains all things by the word of His power (Hebrews 1:3).
As the all-knowing, all-powerful, ever-present Creator and Sustainer of the universe, God is always aware of all prayers prayed in His name. Nothing escapes His notice. We can be confident He hears our prayers because nothing is outside of His sovereignty and omniscience.
Hindrances to God hearing our prayers
The Bible indicates there can be hindrances that prevent God from hearing our prayers. These include:
- Sin: Isaiah 59:1-2 says, “Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save, or his ear dull, that it cannot hear; but your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear.”
- Idols: Ezekiel 14:3 says, “Son of man, these men have taken their idols into their hearts, and set the stumbling block of their iniquity before their faces. Should I indeed let myself be consulted by them?”
- Selfish motives: James 4:3 warns, “You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.”
- Unforgiveness: Jesus said if we do not forgive others, God will not forgive us (Matthew 6:15). Unforgiveness hinders relationship with God.
- Doubt: Jesus said in Matthew 21:22, “And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.” Doubt can hinder our prayers.
Thankfully, Scripture shows that when we turn from sin in repentance, renewing our devotion to God, these hindrances are removed. Then we can be confident once more that God hears our prayers.
God answers our prayers according to His will
One key thing to understand about God hearing our prayers is that He promises to answer according to His will. 1 John 5:14 says, “if we ask anything according to his will he hears us.” So our requests must align with God’s purposes and plans. He knows best, so we can trust Him to respond to our prayers in the way that is truly for our good and His glory, even when that differs from our requests.
Praying with confidence
God’s many promises to hear our prayers should give us great boldness and confidence when we approach His throne of grace in prayer (Hebrews 4:16). We do not pray to a far-off, indifferent God who is difficult to reach. He desires us to communicate with Him often as beloved children approach their caring, attentive Father. When we pray, we can have the same confidence as the psalmist: “Evening and morning and at noon I utter my complaint and moan, and he hears my voice” (Psalm 55:17). Truly God desires to hear our prayers at all times!
Conclusion
The Bible could not be more clear that God eagerly hears the prayers of His people. He promises to hear us, gives us examples of answered prayer, explains why He is both willing and able to hear our prayers, and instructs us to pray with boldness and confidence. While there can be hindrances to God’s hearing our prayers, these are removed when we walk in obedience and repentance before Him. We can know with full assurance from Scripture that God hears the cries of His people. He listens, He cares, He answers according to His will and for our good. This is a great comfort and joy to all who belong to Him.