Topical Bible: Prayer: God Hears

◄ Prayer: God Hears ►

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Prayer is a fundamental aspect of the Christian faith, serving as a means of communication between believers and God. The Bible consistently affirms that God hears the prayers of His people, providing comfort, guidance, and intervention according to His will.

Biblical Assurance of God Hearing Prayer

The Scriptures provide numerous assurances that God hears the prayers of the faithful. In 1 John 5:14-15 , it is written, "This is the confidence that we have in Him: that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of Him." This passage underscores the importance of aligning one's prayers with God's will, promising that such prayers are heard and answered.

Psalm 34:17 further emphasizes God's attentiveness: "The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears; He delivers them from all their troubles." This verse highlights the responsiveness of God to the cries of the righteous, offering deliverance and support in times of need.

Conditions for God Hearing Prayer

While God is omniscient and aware of all things, the Bible outlines certain conditions under which He is particularly attentive to prayer. James 5:16 states, "The prayer of a righteous man has great power to prevail." Righteousness, therefore, is a key factor in effective prayer, suggesting that a life aligned with God's commandments enhances the efficacy of one's petitions.

Moreover, humility and repentance are crucial. 2 Chronicles 7:14 declares, "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, forgive their sin, and heal their land." This verse indicates that God is attentive to those who approach Him with a contrite heart, seeking forgiveness and transformation.

Examples of God Hearing Prayer

The Bible is replete with examples of God hearing and responding to prayer. In the Old Testament, the account of Hannah in 1 Samuel 1:10-20 illustrates a heartfelt plea for a child. Hannah's fervent prayer and vow to dedicate her son to the Lord resulted in the birth of Samuel, demonstrating God's responsiveness to sincere petitions.

In the New Testament, the account of Cornelius in Acts 10:1-4 shows that God hears the prayers of those who seek Him earnestly. Cornelius, a devout man, receives a vision in which an angel tells him, "Your prayers and gifts to the poor have ascended as a memorial offering before God" (Acts 10:4). This narrative highlights God's attentiveness to the prayers of those who live in reverence and charity.

God's Sovereign Response

While God hears all prayers, His responses are sovereign and may not always align with human expectations. Romans 8:26-27 explains that "the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groans too deep for words." This passage reassures believers that even when they are unsure of how to pray, the Holy Spirit intercedes, ensuring that their prayers are presented in accordance with God's will.

Ultimately, God's responses to prayer are rooted in His perfect wisdom and love. As Isaiah 55:8-9 reminds us, "For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, declares the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts." This acknowledgment of God's transcendence encourages believers to trust in His divine plan, even when His answers to prayer are not immediately understood.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

Psalm 10:17
LORD, you have heard the desire of the humble: you will prepare their heart, you will cause your ear to hear:
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Psalm 65:2
O you that hear prayer, to you shall all flesh come.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Greek

2589. kardiognostes -- knower of hearts
... moral preferences (convictions). Accordingly, God hears "the prayer of
our prayers" as He discerns our inner heart-preferences. ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/2589.htm - 7k

Library

My God Will Hear Me
... The power of prayer rests in the faith that God hears it. In more than one sense
this is true. ... God hears prayer"God delights to hear prayer. ...
/.../murray/the ministry of intercession/chapter xii my god will.htm

Whether Sinners Impetrate Anything from God by their Prayers?
... On the other hand God hears the sinner's prayer if it proceed from a good natural
desire, not out of justice, because the sinner does not merit to be heard ...
/.../aquinas/summa theologica/whether sinners impetrate anything from.htm

Prayer
... (1) God may hear us when we do not hear from him; as soon as prayer is
made, God hears it, though he does not presently answer. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/watson/the ten commandments/4 6 prayer.htm

Whether Attention is a Necessary Condition of Prayer?
... iii] says, "God hears not the prayer of those who pay no attention to their prayer."
The third effect of prayer is that which it produces at once; this is the ...
/.../aquinas/summa theologica/whether attention is a necessary.htm

Whether Prayer is an Act of the Appetitive Power?
... or in order to show how speedily they are heard, since no sooner do the poor desire
something than God hears them before they put up a prayer, according to the ...
//christianbookshelf.org/aquinas/summa theologica/whether prayer is an act.htm

What Sort of Prayer the Gnostic Employs, and How it is Heard by ...
... [3567] For God hears continually all ... head and lift the hands to heaven, and set the
feet in motion [3568] at the closing utterance of the prayer, following the ...
/.../clement/the stromata or miscellanies/chapter vii what sort of prayer.htm

Our Requests Made Known unto God
... answer. Knowing that God hears us when we pray is something vastly more
than a beautiful theory about prayer. Spiritual perception ...
/.../anderson/prayer availeth much/chapter 2 our requests made.htm

Prayer --Fills Man's Poverty with God's Riches
... Strength, serenity, sweetness, and faith may come as the bearers of the gifts.
But even they come because God hears and answers prayer. ...
/.../bounds/the reality of prayer/ii prayerfills mans poverty with.htm

The Word of Jesus on Prayer.
... Not many years may pass before you confess, 'Thou art a God who hears prayer, and
gives a better answer.' You may come to see that the desire of your deepest ...
//christianbookshelf.org/macdonald/unspoken sermons/the word of jesus on.htm

Prayer and Importunity (Continued)
... perseverance must back the prayers which heaven respects, and God hears. ... There can
be no question but that importunate prayer moves God, and heightens ...
/.../bounds/the necessity of prayer/vii prayer and importunity continued.htm