Unbeliever's Prayers

Have you ever been asked this question: does God answer an unbeliever’s (sinners) prayers?  This came up in a study a while ago that I did not attend but heard about.  This verse was brought up Isaiah 59:2, “But your iniquities have separated you from your God; and your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear.”  But this verse was not acceptable to the leaders because they thought these things were only for the Jews and not for the Gentiles.

Let me ask you a question: were the Jews worse sinners than the Gentiles or Greeks or anyone else?  I don’t think so.  From my understanding all human beings were born in sin and shaped in iniquity.

According to David in Psalms 51:4-5 he says this, “Against You, You only, have I sinned, and done this evil in Your sight—that You may be found just when You speak, and blameless when You judge.  Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin my mother conceived me.”

Also in Romans 3:9-18 it says:

“What then? Are we better than they? Not at all. For we have previously charged both Jews and Greeks that they are all under sin.

As it is written:

“There is none righteous, no, not one;

There is none who understands;

There is none who seeks after God.

They have all turned aside;

They have together become unprofitable;

There is none who does good, no, not one.”

“Their throat is an open tomb;

With their tongues they have practiced deceit”;

“The poison of asps is under their lips”;

“Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness.”

“Their feet are swift to shed blood;

Destruction and misery are in their ways;

And the way of peace they have not known.”

“There is no fear of God before their eyes.”

It also says in Romans 3:23, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”

From the very beginning, sin has separated man from God.  Do you recall back in the book of Genesis 3:8-10, when Adam and Eve hid themselves from God when they heard the voice of God as they were walking in the garden in the cool of the day because they sinned?  Their sins separated them from God and they were evicted from the garden.  From that time on man has been separated from their God.

It says this in Zechariah 7:8-14:

“Then the word of the Lord came to Zechariah, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts:

‘Execute true justice,

Show mercy and compassion

Everyone to his brother.

Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless,

The alien or the poor.

Let none of you plan evil in his heart

Against his brother.’

“But they refused to heed, shrugged their shoulders, and stopped their ears so that they could not hear. Yes, they made their hearts like flint, refusing to hear the law and the words which the Lord of hosts had sent by His Spirit through the former prophets. Thus great wrath came from the Lord of hosts. Therefore it happened, that just as He proclaimed and they would not hear, so they called out and I would not listen,” says the Lord of hosts. ‘But I scattered them with a whirlwind among all the nations which they had not known. Thus the land became desolate after them, so that no one passed through or returned; for they made the pleasant land desolate.’”  

Now think of this, when Jesus hung on the cross and gave His life for our sins, and the sins of mankind were on His shoulders, the one who had no sin became sin for us; at that time Jesus said, “My God, My God why has thou forsaken me,” in Matthew 27:46, “And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, ‘Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?’ that is, ‘My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?’”

It says this about that verse in the footnotes of my Bible, “Jesus was not questioning God, he was quoting the first line of Psalm 22—a deep expression of the anguish he felt when he took on the sins of the world causing him to be separated from his Father.  This was what Jesus dreaded as he prayed to God in the garden to take the cup from him (26:39).  The physical agony was horrible, but even worse was the period of spiritual separation from God.  Jesus suffered this double death so that we would never have to experience eternal separation from God.”  

Question: did God forsake His Son or did God turn His back on the sin?  You answer the question.

I have one more thing I want to put here for your consideration, it is found in John 9:24-34:

“So they again called the man who was blind, and said to him, ‘Give God the glory! We know that this Man is a sinner.’

He answered and said, ‘Whether He is a sinner or not I do not know. One thing I know: that though I was blind, now I see.’

Then they said to him again, ‘What did He do to you? How did He open your eyes?’

He answered them, ‘I told you already, and you did not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you also want to become His disciples?’

Then they reviled him and said, ‘You are His disciple, but we are Moses’ disciples. We know that God spoke to Moses; as for this fellow, we do not know where He is from.’

The man answered and said to them, ‘Why, this is a marvelous thing, that you do not know where He is from; yet He has opened my eyes! Now we know that God does not hear sinners; but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does His will, He hears him. Since the world began it has been unheard of that anyone opened the eyes of one who was born blind. If this Man were not from God, He could do nothing.’

They answered and said to him, ‘You were completely born in sins, and are you teaching us?’ And they cast him out.”

My conclusion is that God does not listen to the unbeliever’s prayers except for the humble, contrite and repentant prayer, outside of that their sins have separated them from Him and He doesn’t hear their prayers, but you have to make up your own mind.  Something to think about!  May you have a great day and may the good Lord bless you and yours.  PS don’t forget to thank and praise the Lord!!