God is not deaf.

This week I had a very disappointed person come in for a conversation. He asked if I would pray for him. His health was not good, and he was angry with God. He had already prayed so many times—not whether God would heal him, but that He had to do it. Yet nothing happened.
When I asked how many times he had prayed this, he answered: “Hundreds of times.”

A small exercise I often do in such situations is not to immediately pray for the other person, but to first let him pray to God himself. In such a prayer, you often hear a lot between the lines. In this case, something stood out immediately, right at the beginning of his prayer:

“I declare in the name of God that He will heal me.”

Sounds good… or does it? It can be biblical to pray this way, but that strongly depends on the attitude and the context in which you say it. For example:

“In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk!”
(Acts 3:6, NASB)

That is a powerful statement “in the name of Jesus,” but Peter spoke this under the direct guidance of the Holy Spirit, not based on his own will or desire.

Jesus Himself says:

“Truly I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart… it will be granted him.” (Mark 11:23, NASB)

This is about faith that rests on trust in God, not on human strength. A statement of faith can be biblical, but only if it flows from dependence on God, obedience, and trust in the merit of Christ—not from self-authority.

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According to His will

Let’s look further at what is going wrong. The Bible says:

“This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.” (1 John 5:14, NASB)

And in the Lord’s Prayer we read that one important line:

“Your will be done.” (Matthew 6:10, NASB)

I do not know what God wills—I am only human—but whatever He wills to do or not to do is good. In that I have full confidence.
So when we ask Him something, rather than impose or claim something, Christ teaches us in the Lord’s Prayer: “Your will be done.” That is literally part of Christ’s own example prayer.

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In whose name are you actually praying?

Let’s take another look at the beginning of his prayer:

“I declare in the name of God that He will heal me.”

In the Bible we see that prayer to God goes through Christ, not directly to God. In John 14:13–14 and John 16:23–24 we read:

“And whatever you ask in My name…”
“If you ask the Father for anything in My name…” (NASB)

This is not a magical formula that automatically forces God to act. It means we pray in accordance with Jesus’ will, authority, and character, trusting in His merit—not simply stating a wish and expecting obedience. It is a reverent way to approach God. God is holy, we are not, and only through Christ can we come to God:

“Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.'” (John 14:6, NASB)

Can you pray directly to God? Yes, but in the New Testament Christ comes as mediator, and this is the biblical way. In the Old Testament, prayers were directly to God, but now “the church” prays through Christ.

In Exodus 34 we see how holy God is:

Exodus 34:29–35 (summary)
– Moses came down from the mountain, and his face shone because he had spoken with God.
– The people of Israel saw his face and were afraid to come near him.
– Moses put a veil over his face, and removed it when he spoke with God, so the people could see his radiant face.

This shows how overwhelming God’s glory is. The covering symbolizes the human limitation in beholding the fullness of God.

That is why it is important to involve Christ in our prayer. Whoever ignores Him still prays to God, but it reminds us of our dependence on Christ as mediator.

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God does hear—but not always as we want

The most important point is: God is not deaf.

As we read in 1 John 5, God hears our prayer if we pray according to His will:

“This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.” (1 John 5:14, NASB)

Suppose you ask your partner or father for a certain gift for your birthday. He has a plan, sees the bigger picture, and loves you. With that knowledge, he makes a decision about what is good—not only for you, but for the whole family.

That is a serious issue. Do you truly trust God and His plan, for His glory, or are you trying to pressure Him through your prayers?

If you do the latter, without genuine trust, you will not find rest—quite the opposite. And it is exactly that divine rest you desperately need when you are in pain, in whatever form. For that is what God wants to give you when you are weary or burdened:

“Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28, NASB)

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The rest of trust

One of my greatest heroes of faith suffered much pain at the end of his life. But because he fully trusted God, he had peace, and even his pain changed. It was remarkable to witness. For him, it meant complete surrender to God: giving everything to Him, including the pain and the worries. That person is still for me a living example of Matthew 11:28.

So God is not deaf. He hears, He knows, and He cares—but according to His will, and always through Christ. In that lies the peace which surpasses all understanding:

“And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:7, NASB)