Does Anyone Hear Prayers?

Prayers cannot do any good unless they are heard. When a person prays, he evidently believes that someone in the invisible spirit realm hears. However, prayers are not transmitted by mere sound waves. Many people believe that someone can even read the thoughts of the one praying. Who might that be? 

Just how thoughts originate in the billions of neurons that compose the cerebral cortex of our brain is largely a mystery to researchers. Reasonably, though, the One who designed the brain can read such thoughts. That one is none other than our Creator, Jehovah God.  (Psalm 83:18; Revelation 4:11)  Prayers should be directed to him.  But does Jehovah pay attention to all such prayers?

Are All Prayers Heard?

King David of ancient Israel was a man of prayer. As a divinely inspired psalmist, he sang:  "O Hearer of prayer, even to you people of all fleshy will come." (Psalm 65:2) Jehovah is able to understand prayers uttered in any of the thousands of languages spoken by mankind. The fact that no human mind could process so much information does not  mean that God cannot pay attention to all who pray to him in an acceptable way.

Yes, Jesus Christ-also a man of prayer-revealed that not all prayers please God. Note what Jesus said about the then popular practice of repeating memorized prayers. According to  the Catholic Jerusalem Bible, he stated: "In your prayers do not babble as the pagans do, for they think that by using many words they will make themselves heard." (Matthew 6:7)  We cannot expect Jehovah to listen to prayers that do not express our true feelings. 

Indicating why some prayers do not please God, a Bible proverb says:  "He that is turning his ear away from the hearing the law-even his prayer is something detestable." (Proverbs 28:9) Another proverbs says:  "Jehovah is far away from the wicked ones, but the prayer of the righteous ones he hears." (Proverbs 15:29) At a time when the leaders  of ancient Judah bore heavy guilt, Jehovah declared:  "When you spread out your palms, I hide my eyes from you. Even though you make many prayers, I am not listening; with bloodshed your very hands have become filled." -Isaiah 1:1, 15.

Next time: Conclusion of: Are All Prayers Heard?

From the Watchtower magazine, 2000