God Hears and Answers Prayers

My belief in prayer begins with foundational beliefs:

1. God exists.

2. God is aware of us in the universe.

3. God cares about humans as His children.

4. God engages with us.

5.  The scriptures are true accounts of real people who had real experiences with God.

These fundamental beliefs are the background upon which I have built my belief that prayer works. I have laid out my rationale for these beliefs in previous articles, so I won't rehearse them here. 

I am also aware that many people believe in prayer as a beneficial practice without the notion that a God is listening. Some consider prayer a form of meditation or a way of sending energy into the universe. That's not the kind of prayer, however, that I'm talking about. 

When I speak of praying, I mean a conversation between a human and an omniscient, omnipotent, Supreme Being, the King of the Universe. I believe I can speak to a God who created me, knows me, loves me, sent me to earth to have experiences and learn lessons, and wants me to return to Him.  He is my Father, and I am His child. He knows my name and is interested in me as an individual. 

I believe God hears and answers my prayers because:

1. The Scriptures provide me with a written record of hundreds of answered prayers.  Both the Bible and the Book of Mormon recount the experiences of many people who prayed and received answers. While many of those people were prophets with spectacular experiences, many more were normal people like me, who pleaded for strength, guidance, or rescue and received the help they needed.

2. People I know personally have testified to the effects of answered prayers in their lives. Their needs and desires are very much like those of the people in Scripture, and their petitions have been granted. Some answers have been dramatic, while most have been subtle, almost coincidental--except that so many coincidences no longer appear coincidental.

3. Jesus set the example of prayer. Not only did He teach His disciples to pray, but He also practiced what He preached, often finding places and periods of solitude where He could commune with His Father. 

4. In addition, Jesus promised that prayers would be answered. "Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you" (Matthew 7:7). "And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it" (John 14:13-14). Because I believe Jesus is the Son of God (another foundational belief), I trust that He is telling the truth.

5. I have had my own personal experience with prayer. I have spoken to my Father in the name of Jesus daily, often multiple times a day, for more than fifty years. I have prayed in times of great sorrow and great joy, great distress and great triumph. Many of my prayers have been outpourings of gratitude. Some have been angry shouts, while most have been whispered or silent. He lets me know that He hears me. Most often, He provides a subtle feeling of peace, a gentle acknowledgement that He has received my message. I have received ideas and impressions. Sometimes He has given me words, sentences, and paragraphs--not in my ears but in my mind. He has strengthened me, encouraged me, lifted me, and prompted me to act. When I have needed guidance, He has confirmed certain critical decisions and directed me away from bad choices.

Not every prayer has required an answer or deserved one. I often get no for an answer, and even more often, I get no answer at all. I've learned that God's silence doesn't mean that He's not listening or doesn't care. Sometimes, He lets me exercise my agency, use my own logic, and learn from the consequences, both good and bad. He's not raising a puppet, He's training a son.

I choose to believe in prayer, not only because I have the evidence and testimony of others, and not only because I have a lifetime of my own experiences, but because my logic tells me that a God who took the time and effort to create the universe and the earth, and who created me and sent me here, would not turn His back and walk away. My Father has a purpose for me, and He wants to have a relationship with me. That relationship I call prayer.