Prayer Unfiltered: Does God Hear My Silent Prayers?

Some of the most honest prayers never make it past our lips. They show up as thoughts on the drive home, a quiet plea during a meeting, or a wordless ache we can’t explain and that raises a haunting question: does God hear my silent prayers?

In this episode of Prayer Unfiltered, Kimberly Roddy and Elizabeth Powell dive into what Scripture says about silent prayer and the deeply personal nature of our relationship with God.

Through passages like Psalm 139 and Romans 8, along with the powerful story of Hannah, we’re reminded that God doesn’t just hear what we say—He knows our thoughts, our emotions, and even the prayers we can’t put into words.

In this episode, you’ll discover:
✨ What the Bible says about silent prayers
✨ How God knows your thoughts before you speak
✨ Why prayer is about relationship—not performance
✨ How the Holy Spirit intercedes when you don’t have the words
✨ The comfort of knowing God hears even your quietest cries

If you’ve ever wondered whether God hears you in the silence, this conversation will bring clarity, encouragement, and peace.

🎧 Listen now and be reminded: you are fully known—and fully heard. If this encouraged you, subscribe, share it with a friend who’s struggling to pray, and leave a review so more people can find the show.

Transcript

Welcome And Big Question

SPEAKER_00 0:04

Hey friends, I'm Kimberly. And I'm Elizabeth, and this is the Father's Business Podcast, born out of Sylvia Gunter's heart for people to know who God is and who they are in him.

SPEAKER_01 0:15

So wherever you're listening from today, we pray that you will sense his nearness and know that you are his beloved sons and daughters. We're really glad you're here with us today. Well, hi everyone. Thanks for joining us today. We're glad you're with us. We are in our series, Prayer Unfiltered, and we are continuing to work through the questions that you've sent in about prayer. So today we're going to talk about the question: Does God hear my silent prayers?

SPEAKER_00 0:43

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 0:44

Perfect. Thank you for listening to the Father's Business Podcast. It was great being with you today.

Psalm 139 And God Knowing Thoughts

SPEAKER_00 0:49

For those of you that like a shorter podcast, there you go. Short answer, yes. But today we're going to dig into some scripture and talk about it, show how we can know with confidence that yes, God does hear our prayers, whether they're out loud or silent. And really, several of you, we we didn't get this question from just one person. Several of you emailed us asking, Does God hear my prayers if they're silent? So obviously this is on the hearts of a lot of people, Kimberly.

SPEAKER_01 1:14

As we try to address that question today, I think the first set of verses we can look at is Psalm 139, verses 1 through 4. God's hearing is not just limited to our audible words. So let me read that passage for you. It says, Lord, you have searched me and know me. You know when I sit down and when I rise up, you discern my thoughts from afar, you search out my path and my lying down, and are acquainted with all my ways. Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O Lord, you know it all together. Not only do we see in that passage that God knows us completely, but we see that he understands our thoughts before they're even spoken. So again, like I said a second ago, his hearing is not limited to just what comes out of our mouth audibly. Our silent prayers are fully known to him. And Elizabeth, I think there's a passage in the Old Testament that we both really like that also shares that same story. Why don't you share that one?

SPEAKER_00 2:05

Yeah, I was thinking about as you were talking, just how intimate that feels, that he knows my thoughts, that he knows the words that are on my lips. And there's the story of Hannah in the Old Testament in 1 Samuel. And I really relate to her in some ways because she's she's wanting to have a child and and not having one. And I know there's a lot of women out there that find themselves in a place like that, or there's a dream that you've been dreaming about, whether male or female, and it's not coming to fruition. That's a really hard place to be living in. Samuel 1, verses 10 through 17 is the story of it. And it starts off talking about she was in bitterness of soul. And I do just feel the weight of that. This is really hard stuff that she's walking through. And she's praying to the Lord and weeping to him. And she says to God, you know, God, if you'll give me a son, I will dedicate him to your service. And so she's just crying to God, saying, What she really wants to have is a son. And as she's praying this, it says in verse 12 that the the priest noticed her. And what he notices is that only her lips were moving, but there was no sound coming out of her mouth. And so the priest thought she's drunk, which I always find that part comical. So he asked her basically, How long have you been drinking? Because her lips are moving, but there's no sound. So this is an internal prayer that she's having with God about wanting a son. And she answers, I'm not drunk, I'm just a woman of deep, deep sorrow. I haven't had wine or strong drink, but I'm just pouring out my soul before the Lord. A few verses down, the priest then says to her, Go in peace. God has heard you. And so I love the beauty of this story that she spoke in her heart, her voice was not heard by the people around her, and yet God was right there with her. He heard everything she said, and probably also a lot of things that she didn't even say. Those inner groanings, those hurt in her heart, he was fully present with her. And if you read later in the book, she does have a son. So it comes to pass. So I think that's a very strong and comforting way for us to hold on to that for some of us who may be wondering, is God really hearing my silent prayers?

The Spirit Intercedes Beyond Words

SPEAKER_01 4:29

Elizabeth, when I think about the question, does God hear my silent prayers? In some ways, I just I simply think he must hear my silent prayers because he created me. I mean, over and over. Psalms says he knit me together in my mother's womb. There are multiple verses about how he pieced me together. He created me, he knows me. Just a matter of just simplicity, I go, of course he hears my silent prayers. You were just talking about Hannah. I'm sure there were many things, like you said, many other things that she cried out to the Lord about as well. God does, he knows us, like we were saying. He knows us so intimately that for me, I'm like, he must hear my silent prayers. Like those two things go together for me. And when I think about that, I jump to the New Testament. Romans 8, 26 and 27 talks about the Spirit helps us in our weakness, for we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. He who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. Last week we talked about how God intercedes on our behalf, that we don't always have the word. Sometimes we just have our own groanings, our own cries. And yet for the Holy Spirit to intercede on our behalf, he must know us and hear our silent prayers.

Jesus Answers Unspoken Thoughts

SPEAKER_00 5:48

Yeah, and I think going one step deeper than that, even the things that we don't even know to pray about. Yeah. Like so so completely known, like you were talking about the groaning. It may even be desires or dreams that we haven't allowed ourselves to say out loud or believe that we really desire those things. Think this again just underlines just the intimacy that God has with us, as you said, because he knows us, he made us. But in our relationship with him every day, I mean, I that we could sit around and tell stories, I think both of us, of times where I felt a need inside of me, but I didn't even think to stop and pray about it. And then I watched God show up for me anyway, and how tender that was, that it's like, man, I didn't even voice that one to you, but I knew it was in there somewhere, and yet you showed up for me. And then on the flip side, there's things we've prayed about for years, and it feels like no one's answering. So it's not that every time I pray a silent prayer or pray a prayer out loud that I immediately feel that connection. I think of the verse in John where it says the sheep know the shepherd's voice. There's that intimacy that we share. As we've talked about in the series, it's about a relationship, not about a performance. And this is such the tender part of that that I I love that we're being asked this question because I think it helps us to understand the tenderness of God. And as these questions were coming in, and I was trying to think, okay, I mean, I know it's true, but how do I know it's true? And trying to dig through scripture, one of the things that came to my mind, Kimberly, is how often Jesus read the thoughts of the people around him when he was here on earth. Um, because I mean, we don't have a verse that says, chapter and verse, God hears our silent prayers all the time. So, I mean, we don't actually have a verse that says that God hears all of our spoken prayers. It says he'll answer us, but I mean, that's a question for another podcast another day. But I like that there are at least four different accounts in the New Testament where it shows that Jesus read the thoughts of the people around them. And a lot of them are people that didn't want their thoughts read. Four of the accounts, and they show up in several gospels, are about the Pharisees when they're coming around and in their mind they are questioning who Jesus is, his motivations for what he's doing. And in four different places in the New Testament, he knows their thoughts. And it says that in scripture, Jesus knew his thoughts. That phrase keeps showing up in each of these accounts, and it then Jesus turns to them and answers their thought, not what they're saying out loud to him, if they've even said anything at all. I think that's very comforting that God who came in man form to show himself to us, there are accounts in scripture where it says he knew their thoughts. They weren't followers of his, they weren't even really friends of his. They were actually trying to entrap him into something, and yet he read their thoughts and answered them in a way, I think, that tried to bring them into a deeper relationship with him. How much more so, building on what you just shared out of Psalm 139, someone that he loves and he cares for, how much more so will he know our thoughts, whether we speak them out loud or not?

SPEAKER_01 9:05

Elizabeth, I think that's a interesting thought, and I'm not sure I've really looked at that that in that particular way. Can you can you elaborate a little bit on where we see that in scripture of Jesus knowing their thoughts?

SPEAKER_00 9:16

Yeah, yeah. I um I kind of wrote these down as I was going through the accounts of Jesus, and there's one where the scribes and the Pharisees begin to ask questions about him when he he heals the paralytic in Luke 5, 21 and 22. And it says, But when Jesus perceived their thoughts, he answered unto them, saying, What reason do you have in your hearts? I mean, he just comes straight out and goes, I know what you're I know what you're thinking. When Jesus is healing someone on the Sabbath, that's a pretty familiar passage that we know. They're very upset. Not that he's healing someone, but that it's on the Sabbath. And that one's found in Luke 6, 7, and 8. And they're watching him, and they they watch him heal the person, and instead of rejoicing that God has healed someone, they start having thoughts about him being of the devil because he did it on the Sabbath. And Jesus knew their thoughts, and he directly spoke to them about how every kingdom is divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will fall, and just basically cuts them off and says, I'm here doing the Father's business, and so my kingdom's gonna stand. When he cast out demons, the Pharisees gather again, wondering from what power does he do this type of thing? That's in Matthew 12, 24 and 25. And then a more kind of intimate one, when the woman comes and touches the hem of his garment and is healed, it says specifically that Simon the Pharisee had seen what had happened. And it says specifically that he spoke it only to himself, that is recorded in scripture, saying, if this man were a prophet, he would have known what kind of woman just touched him. And Jesus answered him, called him by name, and said, Simon, I have something I need to say to you. And then he keeps speaking to Simon. And so all of these different examples, it's not just the Pharisees. I mean, those are pretty out there, but also his disciples in two different places, one in Luke 9 and the other in John 16. They're having thoughts internally, thinking that Jesus isn't using resources well, or who's going to be the greatest in the kingdom, you know, all things that we're familiar with. They're having internal dialogue about how they see Jesus operating and how they do it differently. And Jesus calls them out on it from their thoughts, not from their words. So I hadn't really put all that together when the question started coming in, asking this question, and then was just kind of sitting with it, going, okay, I know it's true. Where is it? And the why why do I know that it's true? Other than I've experienced it, but where is the truth that backs that up? And I love this podcast series we're doing because it's getting me thinking and hearing new ideas from from God as well. So I just think it's so interesting that that many accounts of Jesus hearing someone's thoughts are recorded in scripture because to me that means the gospel writers thought it was significant and something that we all needed to be encouraged to know that we are heard even when it's silent.

Pray In Secret Not For Show

SPEAKER_01 12:07

As you're talking about that, I'm thinking, just like you said, the disciples noticed, right? And so they're they're the ones that are writing these stories in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, right? I mean, it's inspired by God and his words are in there in the red letter edition. But but what I thought was interesting when you just read that, I was like, okay, if if Simon the Pharisee said that internally, but Jesus responded him, a disciple took notice, right? Jesus responding. And that's where I think you get into that scripture talks about the eyewitnesses' accounts. Yeah. And I thought, well, okay, well, that's really cool. So I someone must have then had to turn to Simon and say, Why did Jesus say that to you? Like, what would Simon the Pharisee have thought in that moment, right? To elaborate on it a little bit and think about it, it's just it's interesting. Jesus isn't just a figment of our imagination or some cosmic being. He was a human who walked the earth and we have these stories and we had eyewitnesses to his accounts, and that's how we validate some of these things in our faith. And also, as you were talking about that, I was thinking about Matthew, where Jesus says, When you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your father who is in secret. He's even telling us there that we'll be rewarded for going and praying in secret. So, so that was the idea that prayer we've, as we talked about, I think in the beginning of our series, was prayer is not about performance. It's about a relationship. So again, I think we're talking about the reality of the fact that God knows us. And so we've got to really think about that more holistically, that He knows us so intimately that we can pray out loud or we can pray silently, but it's about our heart. It's about our relationship with him, and it's a conversation. And so again, I think that verse is another support of the reality that that silent or hidden prayer is heard by God and in this, in this sense, it's even encouraged so that it won't become about performance, because we have to look at who he was addressing there. He was wanting people to not live like the Pharisees who were just religiously putting stuff out there.

SPEAKER_00 14:04

My mind also goes to a different place when I was reading those verses about Jesus knows our thoughts. And I mean, this this is my my own story, right? My own stuff is He knows my thoughts. Yee. Yeah. You know, and and then I start humming the famous little song, you better watch out, you better not cry. You know, we joke with kids around Christmas time. There's a naughty list and a nice list, and you better be on the right list, kind of thing, right? As I was reading through all those passages, I was like, Jesus knows all the thoughts. And and you can slip into feeling shame or condemnation about that, because we're human, I'm sinful. There's some thoughts I really wish Jesus didn't know. But I I landed in a deeper place of acceptance of, yeah, he knows every single thing I'm thinking. The good, the bad, the times I want to talk to management, like we joked about on another podcast, and he loves me anyway. And so I hope we can all just continue to step closer to him, knowing that whatever you're feeling in the moment, going back to Hannah, she is in bitterness of soul, is how they describe it in the Bible. And I can almost feel that when I read it. But she prayed. She showed up in her bitterness and she prayed and she wept, and she's just kept coming to him anyway. And so I'm hoping for all of us we can take another step away from kind of the hard wiring I had in a lot of religious circles growing up, which is you better get your act together and present yourself as holy before a holy God, which I'm not taking away from the holiness of God, but a step closer and deeper into grace, where he sees everything about me. It's not just how I perform on the outside, he knows every internal thought I have and he loves me anyway. Wants me to be more like him, but loves me just where I am.

SPEAKER_01 15:51

And that's exactly what we're trying to set the foundation of this series upon, which is the fact that God is personal and that prayer with him is relational. And by personal, I'll be clear, like I think there's there's layers to that. Like it's not just God is in a relationship with me and that's all that matters. God is in a relationship with his people and we are his people, right? So there's that personal and that corporate element there, which I think are are both unique and important, but I don't know that we can separate them because he hears the cry of his daughter, but he hears the cry of his daughters and his sons. And so that's another conversation that I think we could address too. That corporate and that individual, like God knows me personally, he created me, and yet he writes scripture to his people, his followers, all of us. Those are good questions that we can address as well as how does God hear us as a corporate group, as a body of Christ? How does he hear our prayers? And then are those more important or less important or the same as our silent prayers or our individual prayers? You know, there's lots of, there's lots of complexity in there. And at the same time, we know that our faith and following Jesus is simple, like the faith of a mustard seed and the faith of a child, and yet it's complex because he is a big God. He's other. The bigness, the holiness, the otherness of God sets him apart to where his ways are not our ways and we don't understand them. But what we know is that we can come boldly to him. Scripture tells us that in Hebrews. It tells us that we can come boldly to him as the high priest who understands our weakness, he understands our sufferings, he wants us to cry out to him, and Jesus opens the way. That's what the whole New Testament piece is about. Jesus opening the way for us to get to the Father. And so does God hear our silent prayers? Yes, he does, just like you said earlier, and that's not the end of the podcast. That's not the end of the story, but the truth is it's because he knows our heart, he sees in secret, he sees our thoughts, he sees, and it's like you said, Elizabeth, that can be daunting at times and humbling at times, a correction for us at times when we think about it. It should be. And yet, he knows us and he loves us and he accepts us as his children and wants us to cry out to him. So as you go about your week this week, be encouraged that he knows you, as we've said before, and he hears you, even the silent cries of your heart and the silent thoughts in your head.

SPEAKER_00 18:16

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