Does God Hear the Prayers of an Unbeliever?
May 01, 2026Summary
If you have ever felt like your prayers need to reach a certain level of "worthiness" before you can approach Heaven, you are not alone. Whether you have stopped praying because of trauma, or you are a mother watching a loved one walk away from their faith, it is natural to ask: Does God hear the prayers of an unbeliever? In this raw and vulnerable episode of the Arise, Women of God podcast, host Tamara K. Anderson and guest Bonnie Randall tackle the heavy feeling of spiritual exclusion.
We explore the open-door policy of Heaven, starting with the biblical story of Cornelius—a man who wasn't a religious "insider" yet still had his prayers heard by God. Bonnie bravely shares her rock-bottom story of stepping away from her faith after a horrific trauma and a devastating rejection from a religious leader. Discover how God didn't wait for her to be "worthy" to start a rescue mission, but instead used the relay system of Heaven—the faithful prayers of her sister and an innocent question from a three-year-old niece—to bring her back. If you are tired of the feeling that grace is only for insiders, tune in to this beautiful reminder that you are never outside of God's reach!
Episode Takeaways
- The Open-Door Policy of Heaven: Just like Cornelius in Acts 10, you don't have to be a religious "insider" with perfect theology for God to hear you. He rewards those who diligently seek Him, no matter where they start.
- God's Relentless Pursuit: God doesn't wait for you to be "worthy" or perfectly healed to start a rescue mission. While we were yet sinners (Romans 5:8), Christ died for us. He is already working in your life, even if you can't see it.
- The Relay System of Heaven: If you are praying for an unbeliever, remember Bonnie's sister. Don't stuff religion down their throats. Just love them, pray for them, and let God use you as His hands.
- A Future Highlight Reel: When you are finally ready to turn around and see God, you will realize He has been walking beside you the entire time. It will be like watching a highlight reel of grace.
Resources
Ready to start recognizing the highlights of grace in your life? Get our free Roadmap to Revelation bundle with a downloadable pdf & an MP3 Meditation to help you calm your mind and prepare to Receive Light & Revelation here: https://www.womenwarriorsoflight.com/Roadmap-to-Revelation
Reflection Questions
- Do you ever feel like you have to reach a certain level of "worthiness" before God will answer your prayers?
- How does the story of Cornelius change your perspective on who God chooses to listen to?
- If you are praying for a loved one who has walked away from their faith, how can you practice the patience and unconditional love Bonnie's sister demonstrated?
Host & Guest
Tamara K. Anderson @tamarakanderson
Bonnie Randall @bonnie.randall
Transcript
Tamara K. Anderson
00:00:00.560 - 00:03:29.520
Can I pray if I don't believe in God yet? That is a great question. Maybe you feel like your prayers need to reach a certain level of worthiness before you can even approach Him.
Or you need to know more doctrine. Or maybe you've stopped praying altogether because you don't feel like a believer anymore because of all the things that have happened in your life.
Or perhaps you are a mother watching a loved one walk away from their faith, wondering if God has stopped listening to them too. Perhaps you're asking, does God hear the prayers of an unbeliever because you're tired of the feeling that grace is only for the insiders.
Oh, my friend, you are in the right place. Because today we're going to tackle this very conundrum.
And by the end of this episode, you're going to understand that God is truly a relentless pursuer whose love doesn't wait for a confession of faith to start working in your life.
We're going to help you solve feeling spiritual exclusion by sharing Bonnie Randall's journey from horrific trauma and a Boys Will Be Boys rejection to a sanctuary where she realized she was not out of God's reach. We're moving from Am I worthy to be heard? To he is already here. Stay tuned.
Ordinary Women Extraordinary faith When God calls, we say Y hello and welcome to another episode of the Arise Women of God podcast. I'm your host, Tamara K. Anderson, and joining me today is a fellow woman warrior, Bonnie Randall.
And today we're getting raw and vulnerable as we explore the open door policy of heaven.
First, we're going to look at the story of Cornelius the centurion in Acts, chapter 10, a man who wasn't an insider yet, but whose prayers were heard by God. Second, Bonnie's going to share her rock bottom story moment.
She decided to turn her back on God because of a religious leader's rejection and the sister who stayed on her knees for her. Third, we're going to talk about how God meets you in your wilderness of doubt.
And finally, we're going to share how God uses the relay system, the family and friends to answer prayers when we aren't even ready to ask them ourselves. But first, let's kick it off by talking about if God is selective about whose prayers he listens to and answers.
If you think God hears only the faithful, take a look at the story of Cornelius in Acts, chapter 10. He wasn't a Jew. He wasn't a part of the inner circle.
Yet the scripture says he prayed to God always and God told him thy prayers and Thy alms are come up for a memorial before me. How awesome is that? God was hearing Cornelius. He saw his heart before he even heard the name of Jesus.
This is confirmed In Hebrews, chapter 11, verse 6, where it says, says, for he that cometh to God must believe that he is. And that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. God doesn't just reward perfect theology. He rewards those who are seeking.
Bonnie is now going to share a raw and vulnerable story about how she wasn't even sure if she wanted to see God out anymore after a horrific experience.
Bonnie Randall
00:03:30.570 - 00:05:08.370
I want to share with you today a story about a time when I was the unbeliever and my sister was the one who was praying for me. And at that time, I was really struggling. I had. I was. This was when I was in my early 20s and something really awful had happened to me.
I was abused in just a horrific way that no one should ever be treated in that way. And. And I had actually gone to my ecclesiastical leader and asked for help. And he had said to me, and I quote, boys will be boys.
What did you think was going to happen? And I just sat there staring at him, going, excuse me. But you know what thought came to me? It wasn't, how dare he?
The thought was, well, if he thinks it was my fault, it must have been my fault. And God must think it's my fault. And God must want nothing to do with me. I am scum, I am dirty, I am used.
I am no longer now worthy to be in God's presence. And so I left my church and I wandered around for many years. For about three years, I just was kind of on this roller coaster.
And over time, you know what happens when you leave your faith? You start forgetting. You start forgetting what it's like to have God in your life.
Tamara K. Anderson
00:05:08.930 - 00:05:31.280
She felt like scum, but God saw a daughter. Romans, chapter 5, verse 8 tells us, But God commendeth his love toward us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
He didn't wait for Bonnie to be worthy to start a rescue mission. Mission. He was already working through the prayers of her sister.
Bonnie Randall
00:05:32.000 - 00:07:47.540
And my sister had been praying for me, and she had watched this and seen that I was spiraling. And she was praying, and God inspired her to rescue me, to be his hands.
He told her to bring me up to Canada where they lived, and to take care of me. I had told her I wanted nothing to do with God, but she was patient and she was loving, and she didn't stuff him down my throat.
In fact, I ended up going back to church because it was my 3 year old niece who actually asked me why I hated God. What in the world do you say to a three year old who asks that question? I didn't have a good answer. And so I was like, I don't hate him.
And she said, well then come to church with us. And I was like, okay, I guess I have to.
This ended up being the most precious way that God used my sister and my niece and then the whole worship team and the pastor.
Because when we walked into church, the whole worship team was seeing all of these beautiful songs about God's love, about his redemption, about how we can always come back to him and about how he is in relentless pursuit of us. And then the pastor gets up and gives a sermon all about the prodigal son.
And I turn to my sister and I'm like, you told him I was coming, didn't you? I said something like that. She's like, no, I swear I did it. And I just started bawling. I literally fell to the floor.
I couldn't even stand or sit in my seat. And. And she comes over and she puts her arms around me and my brother in law puts his arms around me.
And then his entire family gets up and sees what's happening. And I have this whole crew of people praying over me. That church became a sanctuary. That church became my saving grace that day.
Tamara K. Anderson
00:07:48.580 - 00:08:10.510
That church became a sanctuary because God was waiting for her to turn around. If you're the one praying for an unbeliever, remember Bonnie's advice. Don't stuff it down their throats. Just love them.
And if you are the unbeliever, listen to what Bonnie now has to say about God's amazing grace.
Bonnie Randall
00:08:11.950 - 00:09:56.120
He hears everyone's prayers. There is no person on this earth who he doesn't love.
No matter how angry and mad at him you might be, no matter how much you think he doesn't exist, no matter any of those things, he loves you because he made you. You are his child. And he promises that when you are ready to see him, to feel him, you will recognize that he has always been there.
Your eyes will be opened and you will see all the little ways that he has shown up in your life. It'll be like a Rolodex playing back, kind of like the, you know, the highlights, the greatest highlights of this person's life.
And you will recognize that he has been walking with you this entire time. I know you might not be ready there's some things that have happened in your life that have created that, and I want to recognize that. I understand.
I am not here to judge you. I'm here to encourage you and to let you know that God is patient. You take as much time as you need, and I hope that you believe me.
But even if you don't, I have enough faith for the both of us. I love you and I know he loves you.
Tamara K. Anderson
00:09:57.240 - 00:11:34.550
So, my friend, you are never outside of God's reach.
Whether you're hitting rock bottom on a friend's couch or you are the one praying for someone who has wandered, God is a rewarder of those who seek Him. He is walking with you right now whether you believe it yet or not.
To help you start recognizing those highlights of grace Bonnie mentioned, we want to give you the gift of our Roadmap to Revelation 6 Steps to Hearing God in your Daily Life.
You can download this PDF along with the bundle of an audio meditation that goes along with it that helps you prepare to hear God's voice more clearly in your life and you can get those free at the link below.
If you feel the heavens are particularly closed, I invite you to start on Step one, the Divine invitation which invites us to start exactly where we are today, Trauma, doubt and all. And if you are praying for a loved one, look at Step six, the Evening Review.
Use that sacred log to write down the tiny ways you saw God showing up in their life today. It will help you find the patience Bonnie talked about. So my friends, God is on the horizon watching for you.
He sees you, he knows you and he will hear your prayer. Don't be afraid to turn to him and simply utter a prayer for help. And until next time, may you arise. Do it God's way.
God Strong if today's episode helped you feel a little closer to God, please like and subscribe. It helps us grow and ensures Heaven's whispers stay at the top of your feed whenever you need them most.
