Does God Hear My Prayers?

Have you ever been frustrated with God for not answering your prayers? I have felt that frustration before. Do you wonder if God hears your prayers? I feel confident that He does hear our prayers. His Word promises us that. But sometimes, I question what I am doing wrong to keep from receiving results from my prayers. Can you relate?

“As for me, I call to God … and he hears my voice” Psalm 55:16-17

Maybe you wonder if the outcome you want from your prayer is even possible? Or if you are wasting your time praying for the impossible.

Jesus replied, “What is impossible with man is possible with God.” Luke 18:27

I have some prayers in my prayer binder that I have been praying for years. I have walked around the same issue without any change, and I am weary. I am frustrated with myself for not being able to change, and I wonder if God is unwilling to help me. What am I doing wrong? What does God want from me?

I believe David’s words as he proclaims God’s promise to hear our prayers.

I also believe what Jesus tells us when He says that what is impossible with man is possible with God.

Why, then, does God sometimes seem deaf to our prayers?

God is holy; He cannot ignore or tolerate our sin. If we have unconfessed sin that has taken root in our hearts, we will feel like our needs are hidden from God.

“Surely the arm of the Lord is not too short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear. But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you so that he will not hear.” Isaiah 59:1-2

Sins, whether they feel like sin or not, will make our souls messy. Sin can look like hate, anger, jealousy, or a bad habit; we are not willing to submit to God’s will.

But the good news is that we don’t have to sit in the mess of our sin and suffer. Jesus has died on the cross for every one of our sins. As we pray to our Father in heaven, it is important to ask Him to search our hearts for any hidden sins so we can freely confess them and be set free from the roots that entangle us.

“Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” Psalm 139:23-24

God is never late, and God is never wrong.

It is often said that God answers prayer in one of three ways: yes, no, or wait. And that is true. God can see the whole picture and He can see how everybody’s individual life pictures fit together. Our best interest, our eternal interest is always in God’s answers to our prayers

Sometimes we get a no, and doors are closed so we cannot go any further down that road. Sometimes we hear a no and move forward anyway, I have done that before. Sometimes the no comes as a change in plans. But God is never wrong in His answer.

Sometimes we get a clear yes, doors are opened, and we get to move on down the road. Sometimes the answer is a yes, but still feels like a huge risk, so we don’t take it. Fear has kept me from some opportunities before. But yes can also be the flip side of the above no, you know the saying; “When one door closes, another door opens.” But God is never wrong in how He answers our prayers.

Sometimes we feel like we are not getting an answer at all. This is the tough one that can make us question our faith. Did God hear my prayer? Did I miss out on a yes because I wasn’t listening? Perhaps there is something blocking me from hearing God that I need to confess? Prayer is not a one and done activity. Keep praying, cry out to the Lord, and ask for the answers. Often, the answer is not yet; please wait for my perfect timing. God is never late, and God is never wrong.

Did you remember to ask?

“You do not have, because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.” James 4:2b-3

It can be as simple as the fact that you have not prayed about it yet. I want to tell you a quick story I heard years ago, that makes this point so well:

A man gets to heaven and is receiving a welcoming tour. His guide shows him around the golden streets and the mansions of his fellow believers and then takes him to his own mansion. As they are going from room to room, amazed at the perfection of the home, they come upon a closed door that the guide passes up without opening. The gentleman stops the guide and asks why they are not looking in that room. Well, the guide says, I’d rather not show you that room, I think you would be disappointed if you saw it. The man insists upon looking inside none the less. As he peers into the room, his eyes get big as he takes in a room filled with the most exquisitely wrapped presents. What are these presents for sir, he asks? Well, this is why I didn’t want to show you this room, each of those gifts are blessings that God created just for you, and every time you asked for one, He gave it to you. Those are all the things you could have asked for but never did.

Prayer is about our relationship with God; it is not a means by which to obtain the things we want. When our prayers are intended toward selfish wants, God often denies our requests. But sometimes, I think we are too hard on ourselves, and hold back on asking God for what He is excited to bless us with, just like the man in our story.

Our Faith is in God

Remember, our faith is in God, not in the way we pray or even in the specific outcome of our prayers. We have the faith to believe that God does hear our prayers and that yes, no, and wait are all answered prayers. We can pray specifically, but ultimately, we should pray for His will to be done.

Let’s pray together, in faith for God to grow us in our prayer life.

Heavenly Father, we come before you in faith asking you to search our hearts for any hidden sin. If there are unanswered prayers waiting to be answered because we are holding onto sin, let the light of your Word lead us to repentance. Thank you for the many answered prayers that you have given us, may we see and stand on these as a testimony to your goodness towards us. Help us to always talk to you about everything, holding nothing back and leaving no request, no matter how trivial it seems unasked. We pray that your will be done in each of our lives. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.