Does God Answer The Prayers Of Unbelievers?

[enoob57]

Ridiculous, enoob.

 

God is aware of all that happens in the entire world 24/7. He hears what passes over everyone's lips and even what DOESN'T.

 

You seem to think that hearing and heeding is the same thing. God hears all but doesn't answer all. Get it? You say He doesn't "take in sin nor the the things born of sin". What does that

Isa 1:15

15 When you spread out your hands,

I will hide My eyes from you;

Even though you make many prayers,

I will not hear.

Your hands are full of blood.

NKJV

 

 

 

mean? Do you think that His omniscience means that He accepts sin?

 

 

 

It is so rare to find a right-thinking believer.

[Floatingaxe]

 

Ridiculous, enoob.

 

God is aware of all that happens in the entire world 24/7. He hears what passes over everyone's lips and even what DOESN'T.

 

You seem to think that hearing and heeding is the same thing. God hears all but doesn't answer all. Get it? You say He doesn't "take in sin nor the the things born of sin". What does that

Isa 1:15

15 When you spread out your hands,

I will hide My eyes from you;

Even though you make many prayers,

I will not hear.

Your hands are full of blood.

NKJV

 

 

 

mean? Do you think that His omniscience means that He accepts sin?

 

 

 

 

 

 

You seem to not be able to understand that what God means when He says he doesn't hear, is that He DOESN'T HEED or LISTEN. Not one thing anyone says gets by Him---even filth.

 

H8085

שׁמע

shâma‛

shaw-mah'

A primitive root; to hear intelligently (often with implication of attention, obedience, etc.; causatively to tell, etc.): -  X attentively, call (gather) together, X carefully, X certainly, consent, consider, be content, declare, X diligently, discern, give ear, (cause to, let, make to) hear (-ken, tell), X indeed, listen, make (a) noise, (be) obedient, obey, perceive, (make a) proclaim (-ation), publish, regard, report, shew (forth), (make a) sound, X surely, tell, understand, whosoever [heareth], witness.

 

[missmuffet]

The sad thing about the prayers on an unbeliever is that when they pray during a time of crisis, the prayers are short lived. Meaning that most of them will pray for relief from something, and as soon as they recieve confirmation that everything is going to be alright, they return to "business as usual."

Yes,the churches were packed after 9/11.For a brief time.

[Dawn1974]

That was one event that to mind was the 911 event. I was thinking about that as I was posting a reply to this topic.

[chance]

I was on the GTY website and came across this:

Does God Answers The Prayers Of Unbelievers?

God is sovereign and can choose to answer any prayer He sees fit. But Scripture clearly indicates that God does not listen to or answer every prayer. In fact, Scripture gives at least fifteen reasons for unanswered prayer. God does not answer the prayer of those:

1) Who have personal and selfish motives.

You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures (James 4:3).

2) Who regard iniquity in their hearts.

If I regard iniquity in my heart, The Lord will not hear (Psalm 66:18).

3) Who remain in sin.

But your iniquities have separated you from your God; And your sins have hidden His face from you, So that He will not hear (Isaiah 59:2). Now we know that God does not hear sinners; but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does His will, He hears him (John 9:31).

4) Who offer unworthy service to God.

"You are presenting defiled food upon My altar. But you say, 'How have we defiled You?' In that you say, 'The table of the LORD is to be despised.' But when you present the blind for sacrifice, is it not evil? And when you present the lame and sick, is it not evil? Why not offer it to your governor? Would he be pleased with you? Or would he receive you kindly?" says the LORD of hosts. "But now will you not entreat God's favor, that He may be gracious to us? With such an offering on your part, will He receive any of you kindly?" says the LORD of hosts.

5) Who forsake God.

Thus says the Lord to this people: "Thus they have loved to wander; They have not restrained their feet. Therefore the Lord does not accept them; He will remember their iniquity now, And punish their sins." Then the Lord said to me, "Do not pray for this people, for their good. When they fast, I will not hear their cry; and when they offer burnt offering and grain offering, I will not accept them. But I will consume them by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence (Jeremiah 14:10-12).

6) Who reject God's call.

Because I [Wisdom] have called and you refused, I have stretched out my hand and no one regarded, Because you disdained all my counsel, And would have none of my rebuke.... Then they will call on me, but I will not answer; They will seek me diligently, but they will not find me (Proverbs 1:24-25, 28).

7) Who will not heed God's law.

One who turns away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer is an abomination (Proverbs 28:9). "But they refused to heed, shrugged their shoulders, and stopped their ears so that they could not hear. Yes, they made their hearts like flint, refusing to hear the law and the words which the Lord of hosts had sent by His Spirit through the former prophets. Thus great wrath came from the Lord of hosts. Therefore it happened, that just as He proclaimed and they would not hear, so they called out and I would not listen," says the Lord of hosts. (Zechariah 7:11-13).

8) Who turn a deaf ear to the cry of the poor.

Whoever shuts his ears to the cry of the poor, Will also cry himself and not be heard. (Proverbs 21:13).

9) Who are violent.

When you spread out your hands, I will hide My eyes from you; Even though you make many prayers, I will not hear. Your hands are full of blood (Isaiah 1:15; see also 59:2-3).

10) Who worship idols.

Therefore thus says the Lord: "Behold, I will surely bring calamity on them which they will not be able to escape; and though they cry out to Me, I will not listen to them. Then the cities of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem will go and cry out to the gods to whom they offer incense, but they will not save them at all in the time of their trouble. For according to the number of your cities were your gods, O Judah; and according to the number of the streets of Jerusalem you have set up altars to that shameful thing, altars to burn incense to Baal. So do not pray for this people, or lift up a cry or prayer for them; for I will not hear them in the time that they cry out to Me because of their trouble." (Jeremiah 11:11-14; see also Ezekiel 8:15-18).

11) Who have no faith.

But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord (James 1:6-7).

12) Who are living in hypocrisy.

Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy (Luke 12:1).

13) Who are proud of heart.

God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble (James 4:6; 1 Peter 5:5).

14) Who are self-righteous.

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 of all that I possess." 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!" I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted (Luke 18:11-14).

15) Who mistreat God's people.

You have also given me the necks of my enemies, So that I destroyed those who hated me. They cried out, but there was none to save; Even to the Lord, but He did not answer them (Psalm 18:40-41).You who hate good and love evil; Who strip the skin from My people, And the flesh from their bones; Who also eat the flesh of My people, Flay their skin from them, Break their bones, And chop them in pieces, Like meat for the pot, Like flesh in the caldron. Then they will cry to the Lord, But He will not hear them; He will even hide His face from them at that time, Because they have been evil in their deeds (Micah 3:2-4).

So, does God answer the prayers of unbelievers? A strict yes or no answer is difficult without qualifying the answer in various ways. However, it is noteworthy that the above mentioned principles represent some of the key characteristics of an unbeliever. Thus we can safely say that, in general, God does not answer the prayers of an unbeliever.

http://www.gty.org/resources/questions/QA160

I'm pretty convinced God doesn't answer an unbelievers prayer - except a prayer of repentance.

What do you guys think?

 

Unbelievers don't pray, does this anwer your question?

[Sevenseas]

I'm wondering how many prayers God is answering right now while this debate goes on here.  Of course God answers the prayers of unbelievers...as has been demonstrated from scripture.

 

Does that irk some?  Well, He still does!  God seeks out unbelievers...seems there are some among the believers as well.  Some believe this about God but they don't believe that about God.

Some believe God heals; some do not believe God heals.  Some believe you have to come to God with all your ducks in a row and some believe you come as you are and expect to change

while you are with Him.

 

Some believe in the gifts of the Spirit and some do not.  Some believe the Gentiles have replaced the Jews and some do not and on it goes.

 

Yet, God hears each and every one.  He hears the Pentecostal and the Baptist.  He hears the spirit filled and the not spirit filled.  He hears the child and He hears the adult.

 

And sometimes, even though some think it's 'breaking' all the rules, He hears and answers someone who is not even sure He is there.