You’re not alone! Many Christians, especially young Christians, sometimes struggle with doubt and are tempted to wonder if God really hears them.

The main way God wants to “grow” our faith from weak and tottering to strong and energized is through His Word, the Holy Scriptures. The Bible says that God hears our prayers (Psalm 4:3, Jerermiah 33:3). God
hopes we believe what He promises, even if we can’t
literally see Him right now (Heb. 11:1).

For some, doubts come because they haven’t
received the specific answer to their prayers. In
other words, God has not answered their request
in the exact way for which they prayed.

God always hears the prayers of His children.
However, sometimes He answers “Yes,” sometimes He answers “No” (because He knows things we don’t) and sometimes He answers “Wait a while.” When we pray we can say, “Please do this, Jesus, if it is your will” (I John 5:14). Then we can trust God to answer in whatever way would be the very best for us.

But for other people, the mystery of a God we cannot see with our physical eyes is what causes doubt. Doubts about prayer might be one of several questions—like, where did sin come from? How did Jesus become a baby? How was He resurrected?

One of the reasons God is God—and we aren’t God—is that He knows lots of stuff we don’t! If we understood everything He does, we would be God! So, mystery can be a good thing (Romans 11:33). God’s power, wisdom, and even mystery are reasons for which we can praise, admire, and worship Him.

But even though we don’t know everything about God, there’s still a lot we can learn about Him (Deut 29:29, I Cor 2:10). Prayer will always be one of the ways that God can become real in our lives. Ask the Holy Spirit to teach you how to pray with faith.