Does God Hear a Sinner's Prayer?

There is a belief which many Christians today hold to that says God does not hear the prayers of unbelievers. I think these thoughts tend to stem from verses such as:

"We know that God does not hear sinners; but if anyone is God-fearing and does His will, He hears him."  

John 9:31

"The LORD is far from the wicked, but He hears the prayer of the righteous."  

Proverbs 15:29 

If we were to just take these verses at face value then we could conclude that God does not hear the prayers of unbelievers. However, when we come to the interpretation of Scripture we must always look not only for verses which support our idea, but also verses and logic that could say otherwise.

Let's begin with the logic:

1. If God could not hear the prayers of unbelievers, then how is anyone saved in the first place? The reason you and I have an eternal hope in Jesus Christ is because He heard our prayer as we cried out to Him to save us. As an unbeliever, we called out to God and He not only heard, but He responded to our call and rescued us. The point is that if God does not hear the prayers of unbelievers, then no one would be saved because God would never hear them in order to save them. God grants us the gift of repentance so that we may come to Him and agree with Him about our sin and be changed by Him. What would be the point of God granting people repentance if that same God refused to hear that repentance? Again, if God did not hear an unbeliever's prayer, then you and I would still be in our sins.
2. God is omnipresent, meaning that He is everywhere present at all times. He is also omniscient, which means that He alone possesses all knowledge. If we think about this logically, then it would be impossible for God not to hear the prayers of unbelievers because He knows all things and He, whether we like it or not, is with them while they are praying because He is everywhere.

I feel at times, we have a tendency to view God as a God that sticks His fingers in His ears while unbelievers pray. This is a dangerous image to hold onto and an incorrect view of His gracious character.

Let's think about this from a Biblical perspective:

"Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son."

John 14:13

As a believer, do you get everything you pray for? I can recall several things which I have prayed for in the past that have remained unanswered, but if I take this verse at face value, then shouldn't I get everything I ask for?

Well, much like the verses at the beginning of the article, that is not specifically what they mean. There is a broader context in which they were written in and we must see them in light of Scripture as a whole.

Often, when we read the word "hear" in the Bible what does it tend to mean? You see, it is easy to just naturally give it a set definition where it means only one thing and that is to perceive with your ear(s) a sound made by someone or something, but what we must take note of is the fact that more times than not, when Scripture refers to the idea of "hearing" it goes much deeper than just using ones ears.

It connotes or implies a response. Not to just hear a sound or the voice of the person doing the talking, but a call to action. To listen means to heed and obey.

"But prove yourselves doers of the Word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves."  

James 1:22

Psalm 66:18 says, "If I regard wickedness in my heart, the LORD will not hear." Again, this does not mean that when an unbeliever prays God doesn't know what they are saying because He cannot hear them. It means that God is not obligated to respond to the prayers of the unbelieving. In fact, that Psalm was written by a believer which indicates that even for the children of God, the LORD is not obligated to answer us when we call out to Him.

He loves answering our prayers and meeting us when we call upon His name, but when we exalt wickedness in our hearts and crave for the abominations of the LORD, then He will not hear, in other words, respond.

He is not our genie in a lamp which we can just rub whenever we need something. He is our God and Father who loves us and is always seeking for our absolute best. Sometimes that means leaving us to ourselves and allowing us to see firsthand how destructive sin can be.

Ultimately, I do not know when or how He chooses not to hear, but what I do know is that out of His infinite wisdom and knowledge He discerns every situation and decides the very best course of action. We have a God who knows every possible possibility because He alone transcends dimensions and exists far above and beyond all time and space.

To the unbeliever, this life is His grace poured out upon you to bring you to a saving knowledge of His Son. To us as His children, He will always work out everything for our ultimate benefit in Him and in making us more into the image of Christ.