Does God Really Hear Us?
Month 8: Talking with God — The Praying Family · Why We Believe
Today's Scripture
Read together: Psalm 34:15-17 & 1 John 5:14-15
15 The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous, and His ears are inclined to their cry. 16 But the face of the LORD is against those who do evil, to wipe out all memory of them from the earth. 17 The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears; He delivers them from all their troubles. — Psalm 34:15-17
14 And this is the confidence that we have before Him: If we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. 15 And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we already possess what we have asked of Him. — 1 John 5:14-15
Memory Verse
“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you.”— Matthew 7:7 (BSB)
📖 Bible-in-a-Year (optional)
Today's reading: 2 Kings 19–21
Reading the whole Bible in a year — do this when you have extra time. (King Hezekiah spreads his trouble before the Lord — and God hears.)The Heart of It
Sometimes a child wonders, does God actually hear me? Or am I just talking to the ceiling? The Bible answers that question plainly. "The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and His ears are inclined to their cry... The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears" (). God isn't distracted. He isn't asleep. He isn't too busy running the universe to notice one small voice. His ears are open. And He doesn't only hear loud, fancy prayers. He hears the cry of a frightened or sad heart, even one with no words at all.
The apostle John adds something that builds real confidence. He says, "If we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we already possess what we have asked of Him" (). Did you catch the secret? The key is praying "according to His will." That means wanting what He wants. That's one reason we read the Bible. We learn what God loves, and we start asking for those things. When our hearts line up with His, prayer stops being a guessing game. It becomes a confident conversation. God hears every prayer. And when we pray for what He wants, we can be sure He answers.
Around the Table
God's ears are always open — He hears you even when you whisper! He never misses your prayers.
Let's do it: Cup a hand to your ear and say, "God's ears are open to me!"
God hears every prayer. When we ask for things He loves, we can be extra sure He'll answer.
Let's talk: How can reading the Bible help us know what to pray for?
The key to confidence is praying "according to His will." The more we know God's heart, the more our prayers line up with what He is already planning to do.
Let's go deeper: What's the difference between trying to get God to do our will, and asking Him for His will?
💬 Conversation Starter
Have you ever told a secret so quietly someone still heard you?— God hears even the prayers you only think!
🛡️ Defending the Faith
When someone says, "Prayer is just talking to yourself. No one's listening," we can answer kindly. The same Bible that records prayers also records God's answers across the centuries. Think of Hezekiah's rescue. Think of the early church praying Peter right out of prison. And Scripture promises that His ears are open to the righteous (). We have a reason for our hope (). We follow a God who has shown, again and again, that He listens and acts.
For Dad · Go Deeper
The doubt "does God even hear me?" usually isn't about the head. It's about the heart. It's born from an unanswered prayer that still aches. Don't rush past it in your kids, and don't pretend it never visits you. The honest answer isn't "every prayer gets the result you wanted." It goes deeper. God always hears. And when we ask according to His will, He always acts. Sometimes He acts by giving. Sometimes He acts by changing us. But always for our good (). Teach your children that confidence in prayer doesn't grow from getting our way. It grows from knowing the One we're talking to. A father who keeps praying through the silence is preaching a sermon no words could match.
Draws on: Natasha Crain, Talking with Your Kids about God.
Let's Pray Together
"Father, thank You that Your ears are always open to us. Teach us to know Your heart. Help us to ask for what You love. And let us pray knowing that You hear us and answer. In Jesus' name, amen."
God's ears are open to me. And when I ask for what He loves, I can be sure He hears.