Does God hear a Sinner's Prayer?

Introduction

Many people spend much time in prayer.  We see images of professional athletes kneeling in prayer before and after sporting events, millions of people faithful to Islam bowing down several times daily, we hear the "Lord's Prayer" recited from memory, controversy abounds regarding prayer in schools.  The act of conversing with God plays a large role in the lives of many people.  Certainly if we are going to be Christ-like in our behavior, prayer will always be a vital part of our lives.  However, it's no mystery to any of us that our conversations with God are unlike those we have with our fellow man.  We have the auditory and visual messages sent our way by other people that we don't have when we speak with God.  When I am engaged in conversation with another person, my eyes see and my ears hear their responses to my words, and such clues reveal to me their degree of interest in our conversation and understanding of the words I speak.  But I don't see or hear God with my physical senses in prayer.  How do I know He hears me?    In an earlier study we showed from the scriptures how many people use the name "Christian" but fail to demonstrate the needed characteristics in their lives to properly claim the name.  Many people are depending on God to respond in a positive fashion to their prayer indicating their willingness to allow Jesus to come into their hearts.  Does God grant the salvation they desire after having said these words?  If one were to base their salvation on God's positive response to such a prayer, one would certainly want to know that God does hear one's prayer and does grant what one asks.  What can we learn from the scriptures as to how God looks at the millions of prayers sent His way every day?  In this study we will examine God's Word with the goal of answering this vital question.

Before we begin to answer our question, I want to make sure we all understand the question we're asking.  To do so I'll begin the study by considering the words "hear" and "sinner."  Next we'll consider an example of prayer as we look at Cornelius.  Finally, I'll close the study with a summary.  Please follow the links contained within the navigation bar above to go through the study.