Q:
I pray fairly often, and it does give me a feeling of peace, but how do I know God is really listening? Sometimes I feel confident that He is, but other times I'm not so sure.
A:
One reason we know God is listening to our prayers is because He has promised to do so—and God cannot lie! The Bible says, “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us” (1 John 5:14).
And God isn’t just half-listening to us (as we do sometimes when someone is talking to us). He gives us His full attention because He loves us, and is concerned about everything that concerns us. After all, if He didn’t love us or care what happens to us, what reason would we have to pray? But He does love us, and because of this, He has given us the privilege of coming to Him in prayer. We can know God loves us because He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, into the world to give His life for our salvation. Have you committed your life to Him?
But prayer isn’t only a privilege; it’s also a necessity! If Jesus needed to spend time in prayer, don’t we also? When we fail to pray, we’re actually telling God that we don’t really need Him. In other words, we’re saying that we can run our lives quite well without Him. But it isn’t true.
We need God every moment of the day, and through prayer we declare our dependence on Him. Praise God in your prayers… thank Him for His blessings… seek His will for your life… pray for others. The Bible says, “pray continually” (1 Thessalonians 5:17).