Have you ever thought, “Does God hear my prayers”? I know for me, there have been several times in my life when the following questions crossed my mind:

“Is God listening to me?”

“Why am I wasting time praying? It certainly hasn’t made a difference yet.”

“Does God hear my prayers?”

Does God Hear My Prayers?

It’s hard for me to admit that I have questioned God and questioned if he has heard my prayers.  

Throughout different seasons of life, your faith may grow, or it may weaken…

We recently went through a cancer scare in my family, and I wish I could tell you that my first instinct was to have faith in the Lord and to have faith in what the Bible says about praying.

But, it wasn’t.

My initial human reaction was to worry.  My thoughts began to spiral down an endless staircase.

How can bad things happen to good people?

Why do bad things happen to good people?

Does God hear my prayers?

I wish I could say I had the answer to the first two questions, but I don’t. I don’t know why there is bad and darkness in the world.  My only thought is that when the fall of man happened, sin entered the world, and the wages of sin is death and darkness.

But I can answer the question, “Does God hear my prayers?”

And the answer is yes—he does!

Praying And Not Feeling Heard?

One of my favorite Bible verses about prayer is found in James.

“The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.”

James 5:16

The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.  There is a keyword in this scripture.

A righteous man.  

Perhaps people who spend time in prayer, fasting, and reading the Word have some very effective prayers!

It’s not to say that a “non-righteous” man’s prayer isn’t effective.  James teaches us that the prayers of righteous and faithful believers DO work!

They are effective and make a difference.

Testimony Of Answered Prayers

I have experienced situations where I have prayed and prayed and prayed some more, and saw absolutely no evidence of my prayers being heard.

My brother was addicted to drugs for years.  I was a faithful believer in Christ, and I prayed for my brother almost daily. I fasted. I pleaded with the Lord to keep him safe.  I believed he would be healed and safe and set free from addiction.

And for a very long time, there was never freedom, only more addiction in his life.

Finally, after years of praying, I was able to see my brother set free from addiction!

But to be honest, throughout the years of darkness in his life, I questioned if God was listening to my prayers.

When Should We Pray?

“Rejoice, always, pray without ceasing. Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you.”

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Pray without ceasing?

Surely we are not expected to pray 24 hours a day 7 days a week…how could we function in daily life?

What this verse means, in my opinion, is to be in communication with the Lord–whenever you feel like you need him or want to thank him.

It means to live a lifestyle of prayer.

A life where, you speak to God, whenever you want to, no matter where you are at! You don’t have to stop what you are doing, get on your knees, and pray.

You can pray driving down the road or whisper something under your breath, and that is praying!

Whenever you need Jesus, speak to him as if he was right there with you.

Because He is!

Create a habit of prayer.  

But maybe “praying without ceasing” might mean to literally pray even when you feel like God isn’t listening

To keep praying even when you aren’t seeing God move in your situation.

 To pray for the Lord’s will to be done, even when you feel he is silent.

Friend, I am here to encourage you and tell you that God does hear your prayers!

And if you don’t know where to start, check out my Beginner’s Guide To Prayer.

Why Should We Pray?

“If you, then, being of human nature, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts for those who ask him?”

Matthew 7:11

I absolutely love this verse because it shows us a glimpse into the nature of our creator. He IS a good father; he loves us so much!

It’s important to notice the phrase in the scripture above that says:

….for those who ask him.

This is a key point to prayer.

 You may not have because you have not asked.

God created us to long for and need a relationship with him.  

Tell him what you need and tell him you need him!

When Your Prayers Aren’t Answered

One thing I have learned recently is that God truly knows what is best for his children.

I thought I wanted to be a stay-at-home mom.  I have realized, in fact, that I do not.  

It’s not that I don’t love my baby or want to spend all the time in the world with her.  When I was home for 6 months during my maternity leave, I found it mentally and emotionally exhausting.

I had prayed and asked, and begged, God to make a financial way for me to stay home, even before I had my little one.

I felt crushed and hurt when He did not open up the opportunity for me to stay home.

But you know what?

I now see that God knew what was best for me all along.

I am currently more content than I ever have been in my life. I love my job, and I love coming home to my sweet girl.

My time with her is so much sweeter.

My first day back to work I was sad.  I felt my prayers were unanswered. But God was looking out for me all along.

Our Father knows what is best for us. 

Rest in knowing that all things can work together for your good, too. (Romans 8:28)

His yoke is easy and his burden is light.  Come to him and tell him what you need.  He is a good Father and loves to hear his children speak to him.

Does God hear your prayers?

Yes, he truly does.