Does God Hear the Prayers of Unbelievers?

Direct Answer

Yes — God hears an unbeliever's prayer for salvation and responds immediately, according to Les Feldick's teaching.

Les uses a lifeguard listening for a drowning child's cry to show that God is attentive to a sinner who realizes he is ungodly. When that person cries out for God's saving power, God is there to save. The transcripts do not address whether God hears other, non-salvation prayers from the unsaved.

Key Scriptures

Romans 10:13 — This verse directly answers the question by showing that anyone who calls on the Lord will be saved — the cry of an unbeliever for salvation is heard.

What Does the Bible Say?

The Bible says the sinner who calls on the Lord is heard and saved. Romans 10:13 states, "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." Romans 4:5 adds that God justifies the ungodly person who believes rather than works. This is the biblical ground for an unbeliever's salvation prayer. Romans 8:27 also describes God as the One who searches hearts and knows the mind of the Spirit, showing His personal attention to prayer, though that verse is about believers.

What Does Les Feldick Teach About God Hearing Unbelievers?

Les pictures God as a lifeguard with a trained ear. Just as a lifeguard hears one feeble cry for help above the noise, God is constantly listening for the sinner who cries, "I want to be saved." When God hears that cry, He is immediately there to save. Les emphasizes that God can only work with a person who admits he is ungodly; God's hands are tied with someone who insists he is good enough. The only prayer of an unbeliever that Les addresses in the evidence is this cry for salvation.

Does God Hear Believers and Unbelievers the Same Way?

The transcripts show Les's teaching on two different groups. For believers, Les says God hears each one as an individual and searches the heart (Clip 1). For unbelievers, the focus is on the moment they recognize they are lost and cry out for salvation (Clips 5 and 6). Nothing in the evidence says God hears an unsaved person's ordinary prayers the same way He hears the prayers of His children.

Why Does an Unbeliever Need to Feel Ungodly Before God Hears?

Les says the only person God can save is the one who recognizes he is ungodly. He uses the example of a man who hit bottom and cried out, "God, if you're out there, save me." That is the prayer God answers. Conversely, God cannot do anything with a person who says, "I'm pretty good." The sense of being ungodly is what moves the sinner to cry out for salvation.

What Assurance Do Believers Have When They Pray?

Les points to Romans 8:27 to show that God searches the heart and knows the mind of the Spirit. This assures believers that their prayers are heard individually and personally, not as a jumble of voices.

From the Teaching

What the Bible Really Says About Judging Other Christians

To bring him to his senses. Because after all, if a person has been genuinely saved, even though he goes out into sin, and if the Lord hasn't yet taken him out as we saw up here earlier in chapter 5, way down deep, he's miserable. He can't be happy. Don't tell me that a sinning believer can ever be happy.

God Hears Believers Individually

God hears each believer's prayer as an individual, not as a jumbled mass of voices, because He searches the heart.

Whosoever Will May Come

While believers learn about God's sovereign choice, the unbeliever is still confronted with "whosoever will may come" — an invitation that includes his cry for salvation.

God Works Only With the Ungodly

God cannot work with a person who claims to be good enough; He can only work with someone who admits he is ungodly.

The Ungodly Man's Cry

Les tells of a man at the bottom who cried "God, if you're out there, save me" — exactly the kind of person God can save.

The Lifeguard and the Sinner

God, like a lifeguard, hears the feeble cry of a sinner in need of salvation and is immediately there to save.

God Hears the Call to Be Saved

God is constantly listening for the sinner who says "I want to be saved," and the instant He hears it, He responds.

What Is Propitiation? Romans 3:25-31 Finally Explained

But oh, that's when God steps in, see? All right, and so he might be just. Now I remember some time ago, either hearing or reading, I never remember which, someone presented the same question that I've had in my mind, and I'm sure everyone has.

Bible Verses

Romans 10:13: For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

This is the verse behind Les's teaching that the sinner who cries out for salvation is heard by God.

Romans 4:5: But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.

It shows God justifies the ungodly person who stops working and simply believes — the only kind of person God can save.

Romans 8:27: And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.

It reveals God's personal, heart-searching attention in prayer, though in the context of believers.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does God hear an unbeliever's prayer?

According to Les Feldick, God hears and responds when an unbeliever recognizes his lost condition and cries out for salvation. The transcripts do not show God answering other kinds of prayers from the unsaved.

What kind of prayer does God respond to from an unsaved person?

The prayer of a person who knows he is ungodly and asks God to save him. Les compares God to a lifeguard waiting for that feeble cry for help.

Can an unbeliever's prayer be heard if they don't feel ungodly?

Les says God cannot work with a person who says, "I'm pretty good." A person must first recognize he is ungodly before God can save him.

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Source Video

Watch the Teaching: What the Bible Really Says About Judging Other Christians