Does God Answer the Prayers of Unbelievers?

This question was asked in one of the Facebook fora that I’m a part of. Since I’m very interested in anything about prayer, I’ve shared some of my thoughts on this question. Here are a few of those thoughts.

First, the simple answer may be found in the Gospel of John: "We know that God does not listen to sinners, but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does his will, God listens to him" (John 9:31).

Second, when one surveys the Biblical passages on prayer, the overwhelming evidence tells us that God answers the prayers of His people if it is according to His will. However there are instances in the Old Testament that even foreigners, non-Israelites, are heard by the Lord when they come to Him in faith, as 2 Chronicles 6:32-33 says, "“Likewise, when a foreigner, who is not of your people Israel, comes from a far country for the sake of your great name and your mighty hand and your outstretched arm, when he comes and prays toward this house, hear from heaven your dwelling place and do according to all for which the foreigner calls to you, in order that all the peoples of the earth may know your name and fear you, as do your people Israel, and that they may know that this house that I have built is called by your name." That explains the Roman centurion in Matthew 8:5-13 and the Canaanite woman in Matthew 15:21-28. Hebrews 11:6 tells us that "… without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him."

Third, there are times of course that God does not hear the prayers of His people, that is, when they remain in their sin. "O Lord God of hosts, how long will you be angry with your people's prayers? You have fed them with the bread of tears and given them tears to drink in full measure” (Psalm 80:4-5). Psalm 66:18 also adds, “If I had cherished iniquity in my heart, the Lord would not have listened.” Confession of sin and repentance from sin are necessary before the Lord could hear His people's prayer.

This is consistent with what James is saying in 4:13-16: "Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise. Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working." The Lord hears the prayers of His people who recognize and confess their sins before Him.

So it seems that the overwhelming answer of the Scripture to the question, “Does God answer the prayer of unbelievers?” is "No!"

Fourth, as one who subscribes to a Reformed confession, I think the Heidelberg Catechism (1563) gives us a very important thought on why Christians ought to pray and what kind of prayer that pleases God and moves Him to answer. In Lord’s Day 45, Question and Answer 116, the Catechism asks, “Why do Christians need to pray?” The answer goes, “Because prayer is the most important part of the thankfulness God requires of us (Ps. 50:14-15; 116:12-19; 1 Thess. 5:16-18). And also because God gives his grace and Holy Spirit only to those who pray continually and groan inwardly, asking God for these gifts and thanking God for them (2 Matt. 7:7-8; Luke 11:9-13).

The Catechism continues to ask in Question and Answer 117, “What is the kind of prayer that pleases God and that he listens to?” Here is the Catechism’s answer, “First, we must pray from the heart to no other than the one true God, revealed to us in his Word, asking for everything God has commanded us to ask for (Ps. 145:18-20; John 4:22-24; Rom. 8:26-27; James 1:5; 1 John 5:14-15). Second, we must fully recognize our need and misery, so that we humble ourselves in God’s majestic presence (2 Chron. 7:14; Ps. 2:11; 34:18; 62:8; Isa. 66:2; Rev. 4). Third, we must rest on this unshakable foundation: even though we do not deserve it, God will surely listen to our prayer because of Christ our Lord. That is what God promised us in his Word (Dan. 9:17-19; Matt. 7:8; John 14:13-14; 16:23; Rom. 10:13; James 1:6).

Finally, a friend raised the issue that there are occasions when it seems that God answers the prayer of unbelievers and because of the answer to that prayer these unbelievers got converted to Christianity. One of the examples she mentioned is the former Russian church persecutor Sergie Kourdakov who wrote a book, "Forgive Me, Natasha", and related in that book that when he prayed, "God, if you exist please show me Yourself," and God showed him, and he became a Christian after he defected and jumped ship in Canada.

She also mentioned another example. She related a "student exchange from China who has never heard of the name of God and did not know that Jesus is God. She never saw a Bible. She came to an international Bible study with the motive to practice speaking English. One day, her bag was caught in between the doors of a New York City Subway train. A week before that, she read about Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead and answering Mary's prayer. So she said, ‘I heard the God of Christians answers prayer. I am not a Christian but I want to pray to the God of the Christians to help return my bag.’ (Inside her bag were her passport, $400 cash, her student's class cards for New York University). She called the staff of International Students to pray with her and for her. She also called on the God of the Christian to show Himself to her. The Staff of ISI are under fire because it is impossible to retrieve a bag with cash in NYC. One week after, her bag was returned at the NYU Lost and Found section, everything was intact, and the cash was untouched! The unbeliever student from China said ‘I see that the God of Christians answers prayers indeed!' She became a Christian.”

I responded that these examples presuppose what the Scripture really teaches that before these unbelievers called upon the Lord they must have heard something about God and Jesus Christ first. Then through providential circumstances they were brought into a situation to call upon God. And as Hebrews 11:6 tells us, those who draw near Him must believe that He exists, even if that faith is but like a mustard seed.

I can't help thinking of two Gentile women who became true Israelites because of what they've heard about the God of Israel. Rahab, for example, must have heard about the God of Israel through the miracles He performed in Egypt and in the wilderness before she changed allegiance from the god of Jericho or the god of his people to the God of Israel (Judges 2:8-13). Likewise, before Ruth the Moabitess made that timeless confession to her mother-in-law, “Your people shall be my people and your God shall be my God,” she must have heard about the God of Israel, probably through her husband Mahlon and her in-laws.

This is quite relevant because in the case of the Chinese student exchange, before she prayed to the God of the Christians she must have read or heard about Jesus. This is the same situation even in the case of Sergei Kourdakov. Before he prayed to God, he must have heard a lot of things about God whom he denied and whose children he persecuted. Both of them might have believed God (in the sense that they have knowledge or heard about God) before they started praying to the Lord, but it seems clear that by the time they prayed to God, when they begin asking something from God, God has already started to work faith in them, otherwise how can they call upon Him?

So the Holy Scripture clearly teaches that God hears and answers the prayer of His children when they pray according to His will and purpose and when they ask Him humbly, fully aware of their undeserved status before Him who is holy and just, loving and merciful. Experience as well proves that. Just think of how many times we have failed to obey God’s will and yet when we draw near Him, humbling ourselves and confessing our sins, He hears us and grants us His blessings. Even those unbelievers whom He draws to Himself are given the faith to believe Him and to turn to Him and to call upon Him. This is all by His amazing grace and abundant mercy to undeserving sinners like you and me.

God's Sovereign Election

"Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, the people whom he has chosen as his heritage!"
- Psalm 33:12

The Lord God has indeed chosen us in Christ and has purposed our good and that He will not be frustrated in fulfilling that purpose. That is very clear in verse 12 as the psalmist shifts his thought from God’s active providence to God’s sovereign election.

Verse 12 reads, “Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, the people He has chosen as His own inheritance.” John Calvin captures the connection between God’s providence with His electing love that is evident in this passage when he said, “The prophet, therefore, in proclaiming that they are blessed whom God receives into his protection, reminds us that the counsel which he had just mentioned is not a secret which remains always hidden in God, but is displayed in the existence and protection of the Church, and may there be beheld.”

The providence of God is clearly shown in the life and ministry of God’s people today, even in these trying moments of our history. The psalmist here highlights Israel’s unique status by using the word blessed. Israel is called “blessed” because among the nations of the earth God the Creator and Ruler of the universe chose her and made her His treasured possession. This privileged position of Israel is solely based upon God’s loving kindness and in keeping with His covenant promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

God made a promise to Abraham that He will bless him and his descendants with great posterity and heritage in order that through him all the nations of the earth will be blessed. Calling to mind such privilege must evoke the people of God to praise and gratitude. And that’s what the psalmist is doing here in verse 12. He declares the blessedness of Israel as the nation whose God is the LORD, who out of His sheer grace, made Israel His own.

You and I need to understand that when Christ put His covenant seal in our baptism, He owns us. And we need to believe with all our heart and mind that we also are true descendants of Abraham by faith and recipients of those blessed promises of God (Galatians 3:26-29).

Just as God has His eye on Israel who hope and wait in Him in times of fear and danger, so God has His eye on us also, the church of Jesus Christ, who hope and wait patiently for His help and deliverance from our present anxiety and to lead us to a glorious future.

And that’s what really makes this psalm so appropriate to our situation because even though we do not know who wrote this psalm and the particular circumstance that prompted its writing, we can identify with the psalmist’s expressed dependence on God in times of need as he affirms in verse 20 that the Lord is “our help and our shield.”

Whatever was the situation behind Psalm 33, the author understands the truth that the Lord is the only One who can meet his needs. So he enjoins his fellow believers to praise God probably even in the face of death or the threat of famine (v. 19).

Oh how fitting it is that we should turn to this psalm in times of uncertainty. For the psalmist ends this psalm with confident trust in God. He concludes, “In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in His holy name. May Your unfailing love rest upon us, O Lord, even as we put our hope in You” (vv.21-22).

So my dear brothers and sisters, would you, with confidence, praise the Lord for His faithful love to you? God delights in calling you His inheritance, chosen and called to be saints in Christ Jesus. God's sovereign election is clearly conveyed in verse 12.

That is what the psalmist calls a true state of ‘blessedness,’ to be called by God His own children, His treasured possession. It is not in your prominent status in society nor in the abundance of your material possession that you are blessed. It is not even in beautiful and secured houses or in the stability and security of your jobs and income. But your blessedness comes from the unchangeable fact that you and I belong to God by faith in Christ Jesus.

In His providence, the Lord will ultimately foil the plans of the wicked but He will bring to completion what He has purposed for us, that is, our redemption and eternal happiness with Him. And for that we rejoice!

Whatever kind of wickedness men have willed in their heart it will not prosper. Only God's purpose will succeed. God can use even the most wicked program of an individual or nation in order to accomplish His electing purpose and to advance His kingdom agenda. God alone can do this because He is the sovereign Creator and Ruler of all the earth. He rules the world and supervises the course of history for the sake of His elect.

While we do not know why the economy is getting worse and some businesses are going bankrupt, we know that these are in the hands of God. So while some of you may have been alarmed and distressed by the turn of events in our world, you should not lose sight of the fact that God continues to reign and rule over the nation and over the world. So you listen to God and to His Word for wisdom and direction. You turn to Him for comfort and assurance.

Seek refuge in His sovereign grace and mercy, for even in the most difficult time of our country’s history you and I will find perfect peace and rest knowing that God's purpose for us, as a body of Christ, will stand. If you serve the Lord faithfully and hope in Him only, no matter what the situation is, His promise remains in you which says, “Blessed are all who take refuge in him” (Psalm 2:12).

God's Active Providence

"The Lord brings the counsel of the nations to nothing; he frustrates the plans of the peoples. The counsel of the Lord stands forever, the plans of his heart to all generations."
- Psalm 33:10-11

The economic crisis is still felt by many. Others are declaring bankruptcy because of financial crisis or mismanagement. Many college graduates, board passers and other hopefuls will be added to our increasing unemployment and underemployment rates.

I understand that these stories do not bring positive note. I am no news analyst and I don't understand much of our economy. But by observing and listening to some people, I can tell that many questions cross their mind. Questions like “What else can our government do to improve our economy?” and “How long will our financial crisis last?”

Some of you might be wondering as to the future of our nation and our world with the kind of politics or the kind of politicians we have. The world has experienced Covid-19 pandemic. There's an ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine that has a global economic and political impact. Others are asking, "What would be the next tragedy that's going to happen?"

These are some of the questions you may hear floating around. Some of you may even asking, albeit silently in your heart, “Where is God in all of these? Is He really in control?” Others may simply wonder, “Where can we find hope? Where should we turn for stability and security?”

Difficulties and crises such as these must drive us to God. And as we focus our attention to Him and His character our worries are being transformed into worship. Our cares are turned into courage as God confronts us with His glorious character.

I pray that God would grant us a heavenly perspective of the things that are happening in our world. We need to view the current situation from God's vantage point and not from our limited perspective. So we humbly ask God to open our eyes to behold the splendor of His being and the greatness of His doing in the world and in the lives of His people.

As we look at Psalm 33:1-11, we want to focus on God's divine providence, which is His almighty and ever present power that upholds His whole creation.

In Psalm 33 Israel comes before the presence of God in congregational singing. Her gathering in the temple, singing in one accord the glories of her God, is part of God’s design in worship which is a wonderful sight to see. Take note how the lyrics vividly express an exuberant note exalting the glories of the Lord, seen in His divine perfections and mighty works. I can imagine children eagerly singing with their parents before God's presence in the temple.

Verses 10-11 boast of the plans of the LORD which stands forever. Several verses before these, the psalmist has been rehearsing the glorious character of God and His mighty power in creation (vv.4-9). Now he turns to God’s sovereign rule over the affairs of peoples and nations.

This rule of God is what we call His providence. God’s providence is portrayed here as active. In His divine providence God foils, He brings to nothing, the plans of the nations. He thwarts the purposes of the peoples. Do you believe that God can bring the plans of the nations and the peoples to nothing?

From the very beginning, God has been governing and guiding all events and circumstances in history, including the very acts of men, to its appointed goal. Nothing happens in the world that is not under the providence of God. He's been doing this in order to complete His redemptive plan in and through His Son Jesus Christ as made known to us in various parts of the Bible, particularly in Ephesians 1. God’s ultimate purpose of course is “to unite all things in [Christ], things in heaven and things on earth” (Eph. 1:10).

Verse 11 says His plans 'stand firm forever' and 'the purposes of His heart [stand firm] through all generations'. Take note how the psalmist talks about the plans of God which stands forever in contrast with the plans of the nations which God brings to nothing. God’s purposes stand firm because His providence, His activity as the Sovereign Ruler and Sustainer of all things, prevails over creation and over history. So be assured dear believer that God's throne is not shaken by the instability of the economy or the collapse of many big companies.

Because God is in absolute control not only in the creation of the world but also in all the events of history, we know and we can confidently say that the recent events in our history are under His powerful providence. He is in complete control of the situation. The economy may fail, our government may not be able to protect and support our country, but nothing can hinder God’s purpose in establishing His rule on earth and in your life.

God’s overarching decree, which Psalm 2:7-9 also declares, right at the beginning of the book of the Psalter, is that His Son would reign in justice and righteousness over the nations of the earth. Or as the Lord’s Prayer puts it, God’s decree is that “His kingdom come and His will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”

It is amazing how God uses the powerful yet wicked rulers, even the devil himself, to fulfill His sovereign purpose. Remember that when it appeared as if Satan and the rulers of the world had won the victory by having Christ crucified, when it seemed like this was sure to be the world’s and the devil’s greatest hour, the Son of Man wearing a crown of thorns, despised and rejected by men, forsaken by His own Father, has triumphed over His enemies, making His crucifixion the moment of God's greatest conquest.

For in the death of God's Son our salvation was accomplished. Christ's death has set us free from the power of sin and death. In Christ's resurrection death was forever vanquished, the devil was finally disarmed, and eternal life was definitely secured for you and me, people of God. As believers of Jesus Christ, we revel in this truth, we live in this truth and we proclaim this truth, don't we?

Now think about this: the God whom you serve can turn evil for the good of His people. Now if you have a contrary view of God, or even a lesser view of Him than this, you may not join the righteous believers in singing this psalm. For at the heart of praising God in His divine providence is the confession that says, “I believe in God who is in complete control not only in the affairs of the nations but also in the lives of every person in this world, including my life.”

So if your confession, if your lifestyle betrays the sovereign rule of Christ, you better be wise. You need to humble yourself before the Lord and admit your act of insubordination, or worse still, of worshiping another god. “Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and you be destroyed in your way, for his wrath can flare up in a moment” (Psalm 2:12).

So fear God reverently, just as all the earth ought to fear Him and stand in awe of Him (v.8). You don't need to be paralyzed by the seeming success and the remaining threat of evil in our society. God is still the Ruler of the universe. So we can praise Him with the hymn writer who says, "This is my Father’s world; O let me never forget, That though the wrong seems oft so strong, God is the ruler yet. This is my Father’s world; Why should my heart be sad? The Lord is King, let the heavens ring! God reigns; let the earth be glad."

Therefore what verses 10-11 boldly declare is that, historical events are not decided in the halls of the nations’ capital or in the secret headquarters of wicked men but in the holy chambers of heaven where God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, has drawn out an eternal plan realized in history’s event.

This history will culminate in the final overthrow of God’s enemies. Today it seems that wickedness is gaining the upper-hand. And we need not be surprised if lawlessness will intensify as history progresses and life in this world becomes more difficult. Just don't forget that God's Word declares that the rulers of this world will not win no matter how great and horrifying pain and terror they will inflict upon the earth. God's eternal purpose will ultimately prevail.

Remember the words of the Apostle Paul in 2 Thess.1:8-10 that those who do not know God and those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus will suffer eternal destruction in the fullness of God's wrathful presence, away from the glory of His grace and might.

As your friends and neighbors ask your opinion about the current situation, tell them that even though you do not have all the answers as to why the economy is not getting better, you know that our Almighty God plans and orders things, even the crises and tragedies we face, for the good of those who trust Him (Rom. 8:28).

Remind yourself and others that when the Son of God comes again in glory, He will set up His eternal kingdom here on earth where you and I will live and enjoy the gracious reign and eternal communion of our great King Jesus Christ. But warn the unbelievers that those who disregard the law of God, those who do not submit to His authority will experience the most terrible punishment in the hands of the Almighty God. This is the purpose of the Lord that shall stand forever!

So we live with that confidence in God burning in our heart. We go back to our places of work or learning with the sense of trust in the providence of God. Remember that God’s plan aims for our good, for the reign of perfect peace and order in the world, where true “justice roll down like waters and righteousness like ever-flowing stream” (Amos 5:24). That time is yet to come.

I cannot emphasize enough that this truth really calls us to respond in praise to God, praise expressed not just in words but also in hopeful trust, especially in this time of distress and crisis.

Author Jerry Bridges says, “Our first priority in times of adversity is to honor and glorify God by trusting His heart.” It is right therefore for us to praise God even in this time of national and global distress because God has chosen us in Christ and has purposed our good and that He will not be frustrated in fulfilling that purpose.