Does God answer silent prayers?

[chad]

If he prayed it and really meant it he will be saved. Keep praying for him. Two weeks is not alot of time for change to occur. I will be praying for you and your husband.

[Dani H]

Oh yes of coarse I have been talking to God, praying in tears ,asking Him to give me assurance that my husband is saved.

I don't think he's saved Dani.

Okay, let me ask you a personal question: WHY do you want your husband saved?

For you, for him, or for God?

Because the thing is, we as spouses often tend to make the salvation of our spouse a matter of personal happiness. Because in reality, we think it's easier to live with a born again, happy person who will treat us right than it is to live with a cranky, ungodly person who doesn't. But fact is, any non-born-again person can treat another person with decency. Atheists can very much be respectful and loving. And, as women, we often make the happiness of our spouses a matter of personal happiness. I would encourage you to never make your personal happiness dependent on another human being. Derive your happiness from your relationship with the Lord instead; so that way it is constant and never changing, like Jesus is.

I know what it's like living with an unbeliever. It's no walk in the park. BUT ... when I was praying for my ex-husband, it took years to get the assurance of his salvation. Meaning, just 2 years ago God granted it and by then we had been divorced 12 years. Just to give you a time frame. God is Savior. It's HIS business, not ours. In the meantime, divorce or not, I still had to learn to relate to the man in a matter that was conductive to the well-being of the two children we have together. Apples and oranges.

So my suggestion to you would be to stop making your husband's salvation an emotional issue for yourself, but rather deal with his angry outbursts for what they are, on a separate level, between a husband and a wife, instead of a salvation matter because the two have nothing much to do with each other, really.

Then, buckle down with the God who saves and delivers, and don't give this salvation matter a rest until you have God's personal assurance instead of another human being's assumption/opinion. Salvation is of the Lord, a work of God, performed by God. So the only opinion that actually counts in this regard, is God's. End of story.

[justsayin']

I sympathise with you. Just wanted to say, make sure you don't nag him. Men hate that. And anyway God says that he "stands at the door and knocks." (Rev. 3:20) He doesn't force himself in. You shouldn't either. I have heard of many women who have prayed, for years and persevered on this issue with their husbands and been an example to them. And at long last they have given their lives to God. Keep praying and wait on the Lord. Thanks for sharing. Now we can pray too : )

[Boo]

I sympathise with you. Just wanted to say, make sure you don't nag him. Men hate that. And anyway God says that he "stands at the door and knocks." (Rev. 3:20) He doesn't force himself in. You shouldn't either. I have heard of many women who have prayed, for years and persevered on this issue with their husbands and been an example to them. And at long last they have given their lives to God. Keep praying and wait on the Lord. Thanks for sharing. Now we can pray too : )

So true. That is how my wife was and it did finally work. I've been a Christian now for three years.

[lovex]

I believe that God hears silent prayers because He can see straight through us. He sees our heart, our motives. While we can fool everyone else around us by proclaiming "Jesus is my Savior" but we can't fool God if our heart isn't truly there.

[mailmandan]

Can someone be saved by asking Jesus to forgive them of sins in their mind and not pray it out loud? If the person is sincere and wants to accept Christ into their heart and just says a prayer in their mind, but doesn't say it out loud, does God answer that silent prayer?

Whether praying to Jesus in your mind or out loud and asking Him to forgive you of your sins, the key is sencerity. When I was a teenager, I must have prayed the sinners prayer with Pat Robertson 25 times out loud expecting something magical to happen simply because I recited those words, but there was no sincerity on my part. I was not yet ready to repent and believe the gospel. Just prior to my conversion, I prayed to Jesus (in my mind) and specifically asked Him, "whatever it takes to get me to heaven, put the answer right in front of my face so that I will fully understand what I need to do and will have no excuse for not doing it." I didn't instantly become saved at that moment, but Jesus wasted no time leading me to the truth. Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God (Romans 10:17). Once I sincerely repented and believed the gospel, then Jesus saved me. For some people, change is very obvious at first and for others it's not as obvious. If you don't believe that your husband was sincere and is not saved, then absolutely continue to pray for him. Try not to beat him over the head with the gospel. I tried that with my wife and it did not work. Let him continue to see the love of Christ shine through you. My actions spoke louder than my words to my wife. She did eventually come to faith in Jesus Christ, but it took some time.

[EarlyCall]

Thanks for all of the responses. I agree with all of you. I thought my husband got saved two weeks ago because he told me that he said the "sinners prayer" in his mind. but I havent seen a change in him. I haven't seen him read the bible or talk about Jesus at all. I'm so tired. I know God is faithful, but living with an unbeliever for so long... I'm just tired.

True repentance will have occurred in the heart before it reaches the lips.

[poorinspirit]

Can someone be saved by asking Jesus to forgive them of sins in their mind and not pray it out loud? If the person is sincere and wants to accept Christ into their heart and just says a prayer in their mind, but doesn't say it out loud, does God answer that silent prayer?

Matthew 6:⁶ But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly. ⁷ But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. ⁸ Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.

An example of God answering someone that believes before they had come forward and confessed Him with their mouths or even before they had prayed is here:

Acts 10:³⁴ Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons: ³⁵ But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him. ³⁶ The word which God sent unto the children of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ: (he is Lord of all ³⁷ That word, I say, ye know, which was published throughout all Judaea, and began from Galilee, after the baptism which John preached; ³⁸ How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him. ³⁹ And we are witnesses of all things which he did both in the land of the Jews, and in Jerusalem; whom they slew and hanged on a tree: ⁴⁰ Him God raised up the third day, and shewed him openly; ⁴¹ Not to all the people, but unto witnesses chosen before God, even to us, who did eat and drink with him after he rose from the dead. ⁴² And he commanded us to preach unto the people, and to testify that it is he which was ordained of God to be the Judge of quick and dead. ⁴³ To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins. ⁴⁴ While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word.

So the words of Jesus which is the same like a promise, is true on how we are saved, simply by believing.

John 3:¹⁴ And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:
¹⁵ That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. ¹⁶ For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. ¹⁷ For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. ¹⁸ He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

[Adstars]

God knows what a person has believed and accepted. This talk about you needing to say these words or those words is irrelevant. We are saved by believing Jesus and trusting in the Atonement provided for us by Jesus.


All Praise The Ancient Of Days