Have you ever cried out to God to rescue you from a situation or a feeling and were met with what seemed like an empty response? Nothing changed; you didn’t hear God’s voice telling you what to do. Maybe this has happened so many times that you have begun to believe God cannot hear you.

The Lord, in His caring and fatherly nature, does not forget to mention in the Bible that He hears every one of our cries. In fact, it is one of the most repeated messages in the Psalms.

It is safe to assume that an all-knowing, all-powerful God can do something as simple as hear our thoughts. Whether you’re praying out loud or in your head, He hears it all. And this is not just an assumption, Psalm 139:1-4 says: “Before a word is on my tongue, You, Lord, know it completely.” God can do anything; of course He can hear us when we talk to Him. Even when we express prayers without words, He understands. 

It is easy to think, “God has the power to listen to me, so what?” Picture it like this. Because God is kind, He chooses to be attentive to His people. He wants to listen to our thoughts and prayers because He cares about what our requests are and wants to know us as people.

We ask God for many things. Here is the bottom line: God always answers our cries, but not always in the way we want. This is why it is hard for us to see. How amazing that the God of the universe hears our every word, thought and prayer.

Though His throne seems far, every cry reaches Him. “In my distress I called to the Lord; I cried to my God for help. From His temple He heard my voice; my cry came before Him, into His ears.” — Psalm 18:6

Faith in Him helps us be confident that He hears us when we speak to Him. Deepening your prayer life can mean that your conversations with the Lord can deepen, too.

Next time your prayers feel empty, remind yourself that God cares about your every cry, no matter how small, because it is His loving and caring nature.