Does God Hear Prayer?

The Bible gives the answer

MOST people would accept that prayer is part of a religious life. Often those who have little to do with a church, who rarely pick up a Bible, who give scant attention to God, will, when faced with a crisis, turn to Him in prayer. Many helpless individuals, faced with the stark reality of death, have gone down on their knees in prayer. It sometimes comes as a surprise to discover that some of the most powerful people in history have been people of prayer.

What is prayer?

What then is prayer all about? Is it just an exercise to bring comforting thoughts into our minds? Is it a way of miraculously solving impossible situations? Is it simply a religious ritual by priests on behalf of their congregations? Is it the public recital of noble thoughts and ideals or the repetition of certain words and phrases?

This booklet is concerned with Bible teaching on the subject. This is because those who are truly followers of the Lord Jesus Christ must, like him, be guided in all things by what the Bible teaches, for it consists of “the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus” (2 Timothy 3:15).

The Bible leaves us in no doubt that believers ought to pray:

“Then he spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart.” (Luke 18:1)

“Pray without ceasing.” (1 Thessalonians 5:17)

“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.” (Philippians 4:6)

Not to pray is regarded as a sin; Samuel the prophet declared:

“Moreover, as for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord in ceasing to pray for you; but I will teach you the good and the right way.” (1 Samuel 12:23)

The starting point

Prayer starts with a deep and heartfelt need. We may have great difficulty in coping with life; we may be faced with seemingly insuperable problems; we may be conscious of our failings and desire some kind of spiritual renewal; we may be trying to search out the meaning of life. In fact the very problems which confront us emphasise that, for all mankind’s great achievements, we are frequently helpless in the midst of human weakness. Our failures rather than our successes are likely to bring us to God in prayer.

In the Gospels we read of men who commanded great armies, of people in high office in government, of mothers and fathers seeking the best for their children, of farmers and fishermen, tradesmen and craftsmen – people of all types and backgrounds who sought out the Lord Jesus Christ because some need or other could not be fulfilled elsewhere. As we see Jesus always finding time to listen to them, to advise, to help, we see how he reveals to us the character of his Father, the willingness of God to hear prayer:

“Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” (Hebrews 4:16)

The Bible makes it clear that God wants to help us. We should never feel that it is only good people that He will hear. In fact if we think of ourselves as good and managing quite well on our own, the chances are we shall be less inclined to rely upon God.

Two men …

Jesus spoke about two men who went up to pray in the temple at Jerusalem. One was a Pharisee – a member of a leading religious sect of the day. The other was a tax collector. As Israel was occupied by the Romans we can imagine that a Jew collecting taxes on behalf of the hated invaders was treated with contempt. So the parable portrays a member of the religious establishment and an outcast. But Jesus says:

“The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men – extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes (i.e., 10% given to the religious authorities in the temple) of all that I possess.’”

Obviously this man thought he was doing a good job for God and expected to be commended.

“And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me a sinner!’” (Luke 18:9-13)

This second man’s circumstances had made him keenly conscious of a sense of personal failure. In that frame of mind he begged God to help him. Jesus tells us that his prayer was accepted by God rather than that of the boastful Pharisee.

God’s mercy – man’s need

The seven words of that man’s prayer perfectly summarise the right approach to God. It begins with God and ends with “me, a sinner”. God and the sinner are brought together through the divine mercy. W. E. Vine writes of the word mercy: “It assumes need on the part of him who receives it and resources adequate to meet the need on the part of him who shows it” (Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words).

So we pray because we are conscious of a need and we recognise that God alone can meet that need. To accept that God can do what we cannot do is to bow to His greatness, to acknowledge His infinite wisdom. This is praise. Praise, when it finds expression in words, is an attempt to describe the ways in which God is superior to man; it is to give God glory. Through praise we reflect on what God is, and what resources He has to meet our need.

Listening to God

Since God knows best, we must listen to what He says to us. God speaks to us through the Bible. The Psalmist said: “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (Psalm 119:105). The Apostle Paul wrote:

“All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (2 Timothy 3:16,17)

It is vital to realise that prayer cannot be divorced from a knowledge and understanding of the word of God. For prayer is communication with God. The communication is two-way. It is not enough that we should speak to God. He expects us to listen to Him. In fact, it is often better to meditate on His word than to try to talk to Him at great length. The Bible itself warns:

“Do not be rash with your mouth, and let not your heart utter anything hastily before God. For God is in heaven, and you on earth; therefore let your words be few.” (Ecclesiastes 5:2)

The Lord Jesus himself emphasises this point:

“When you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words.” (Matthew 6:7)

We must not come to God full of ourselves, ready to tell Him what we think. That would be like the person who asks a question, not because he wants to know the answer, but because he wants the opportunity to air his own knowledge. If we come to God as people who do not know the answers but believe that He does, then what folly if we ignore what He has already told us through the scriptures! Rather we must read them regularly and reflect on them to attune our minds to the mind of God, as the words of a hymn direct us:

“Inspirer of the ancient seers,
    Who wrote from Thee the sacred page,
A light for all succeeding years,
    A lamp in this degenerate age:
Wisdom to us Thy words impart,
    And with Thy comfort fill our heart.”

The many examples of prayer in the Bible make it clear that God responds only when we pray in accordance with His will. After all, God knows best what is in our interests and will control events accordingly.