Yes—God hears every believer individually, even when millions pray at once, because He is omniscient and the Holy Spirit and Christ intercede for us.
God's foreknowledge means He already knows what you will ask, and His triune nature means the Spirit carries your prayers and the Son advocates for you. Scripture says the Spirit intercedes with groanings and God searches the heart. Prayer is never a problem of volume; it is a personal communion God invites us to.
Romans 8:26-27 — Shows the Spirit's intercession makes individual prayer possible even when we cannot express it.
1 John 2:1 — Shows Christ as the believer's advocate with the Father.
Philippians 4:6 — Directs believers to make their requests known to God, implying He hears and responds.
Romans 8:26–27 says the Holy Spirit helps our weakness: when we don't know what to pray for, the Spirit makes intercession with groanings that cannot be uttered, and the Father, who searches hearts, knows the mind of the Spirit because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to God's will. First John 2:1 says Jesus Christ the righteous is the believer's advocate with the Father. This is addressed to believers, not the unbelieving world. Philippians 4:6 tells believers to pray with thanksgiving and let their requests be made known to God. First Thessalonians 5:17 adds, 'Pray without ceasing,' and Ephesians 3:20 promises God is able to do above all we ask or think.
Les Feldick uses Romans 8:26–27 to explain that when believers don't know how to pray, they should be quiet and let the Holy Spirit commune for them; this is not a tongues experience. He connects this with 1 John 2:1, where Jesus is the believer's advocate, showing all three persons of the Godhead involved in prayer. Les also teaches that God already knows what you need, but He wants you to communicate from the heart. God's foreknowledge includes every prayer you will pray, so prayer does not change God's mind; rather, He has planned everything in light of the fact that you will ask. Therefore, even with millions of believers, each prayer is known and fits into His sovereign will. He emphasizes praying without ceasing and bringing supplications to God, while noting that God does not hear the prayers of unbelievers except a prayer for salvation. God is able to do exceeding abundantly above all we ask or think.
Romans 8:26 says the Spirit helps our infirmities and intercedes with groanings which cannot be uttered. Les explains that when a believer doesn't know how to pray, the answer is to be quiet and let the Holy Spirit commune for him—this is not a tongues experience. God searches the heart and knows the mind of the Spirit, so the intercession is always according to God's will.
First John 2:1 calls Jesus Christ the Righteous the believer's advocate with the Father. Les notes that John is addressing believers when he writes this—not the unbelieving world. Christ's advocacy means the Son is personally at work on behalf of every believer.
Les answers this by pointing to God's foreknowledge. God already knows every prayer that will be prayed, so a believer's request fits into His sovereign will. Prayer does not change God's mind; rather, He has planned everything in light of the fact that you will ask. He still wants you to communicate your desires from the heart with thanksgiving.
Les teaches that God will not hear an unbeliever's prayer just to get them out of a tight spot, but He will hear their prayer for salvation. The carnal mind is enmity against God, so the casual requests of His enemies are not answered in the same way. This means God's personal hearing of prayer is reserved for those who belong to Him.
Holy Spirit's Intercession and Christ's Advocacy
with groanings which cannot be uttered. Now that verse is kind of hard to comprehend, except to say, I think there come places in our life where we just don't know how to pray. We have an idea of what we want, but we can't put it into words. I've told my classes over the years, when you get to that situation, just be quiet, just shut up, and let the Holy Spirit commune for you.
The Three Persons of the Godhead in Prayer
And back up here in Romans chapter 8 we looked at it a few weeks ago. Here we have within just a few verses all three persons of that Godhead. I know there are people who refuse to believe that there is a Trinity, and they say God is One. Yes God is One, but He's in three persons.
God Knows, but Wants Us to Communicate
Thank him for what he's going to do with your particular request. And that's exactly what Paul is referring to. We're going to see here in Thessalonians where he says basically the same thing, that as we pray, we do it with that heartfelt attitude of thanksgiving. All right, now let's go on. Make your supplications with thanksgiving, and let your requests be made known unto God.
Tongues, Prophecy & Order in Worship - 1 Corinthians 14:14-40 Explained
Now how much plainer can you get? Even for the individual. What good does it do, Paul says, to speak in a language that you don't know you're talking about? And I know their answer is what God does. The Book doesn't say He does. We know that being omniscient He certainly can if He wants to. But there is nothing in here to indicate that this is what God expects people to do. Not a word.
Praying Without Ceasing in Everyday Life
And when He says, pray without ceasing, that's what He means. And when He says in everything, bring me your supplications, bring me the desires of your heart, and bring me your praise and thanksgiving, He still means it. He hasn't changed. Now then, let's quickly go to Thessalonians chapter 2, and here's another reason I think we as believers should be praying extra hard.
Foreknowledge and the Place of Prayer
And I don't know whether I was right or not, but I'll tell you the answer that I gave the young man. I said, look, in the foreknowledge of God, he knows everything that's going to be prayed for. You ever thought of it that way? See, everything is based on his foreknowledge.
God's Hearing of Unbelievers' Prayers
He's not going to hear the prayers of an unbeliever just to get them out of a tight spot. Oh, He'll hear their prayer for salvation, but He's not going to answer their prayers when they get in a tight situation because they're His enemies, and He knows they are. All right, so, "...the carnal mind is enmity against God. For it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can it be.
God's Ability to Do Beyond Our Requests
Every believer has this potential within him then, that we can be filled with all the fullness of God. Oh listen that�s beyond understanding I know, but with God�s help we can. Now then he closes that prayer with that Him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think according to the power that worketh in us.
Romans 8:26-27: Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. 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.
This directly shows the Holy Spirit's intercessory work in prayer.
1 John 2:1: My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:
It identifies Jesus as the believer's advocate, not the world's.
Philippians 4:6: Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
This shows that God wants our requests made known to Him, even though He already knows them.
1 Thessalonians 5:17: Pray without ceasing.
Les uses this to emphasize that prayer is an ongoing, personal communication with God.
Ephesians 3:20: Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,
This assures believers that God's answer can exceed any request they make.
Romans 8:7-8: Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.
Les uses this to explain why God doesn't respond to the prayers of the unsaved as He does to His children.
Yes. God's foreknowledge and triune nature mean He knows every prayer that will be prayed and receives each believer's prayer individually. The Holy Spirit intercedes and Christ advocates for believers, so there is no confusion or limitation.
Les Feldick says, be quiet and let the Holy Spirit commune for you. Romans 8:26 says the Spirit makes intercession with groanings which cannot be uttered, and God knows the mind of the Spirit.
Les teaches God hears an unbeliever's prayer for salvation, but He is not obligated to answer their prayers just to get them out of a tight spot. The carnal mind is enmity against God.
God wants you to communicate. In His foreknowledge He has already planned how your prayer fits into His sovereign will, so your asking matters to Him.
Watch the Teaching: Romans 8:24-29 — Does God Choose You or Do You Choose Him?