4 Sure Signs God Is Answering Your Prayers

Inside: You’ve been looking for signs God is answering your prayers. But you’re confused about if He’s even saying anything. Here’s how He answers, so you can stop missing Him.

At some point, in some imperfect life situation, you’ve pleaded with God to show you what to do. Begged Him with garbled, feverish words to give you the barest hint of a sign that He’s answering your prayers.

Maybe you’ve been on your knees for months. Years even. But you’ve heaved yourself to your feet in deeper despair each time at His unbroken silence.

By now, you may not even expect an answer because you’ve stopped believing God is listening to you. You only keep your fervent prayers going because you literally don’t know what else to do.

I was right where you’re at now…too often to count. Like the time I spent five whole years pleading with God to make my emotionally abusive relationship happy. To make me a woman who was finally worthy of my man’s love. Even though I kept at it, those years felt like an exercise in futility because I thought God was ignoring me.

But He wasn’t.

Seriously, I could have saved myself years of misery and agony if I’d only known how to recognize the signs that God was answering my prayers. Almost from day one.

Thank goodness, I’ve learned some things about how to know when God’s answering you. We’ll talk all about them in a minute.

But let’s start off right by laying the foundation you’ll need for recognizing signs that God is answering your prayers.

Bonus: As a bonus for joining my weekly newsletter, get this free printable download—The Hearing God Cheat Sheet. It gives you 6 guaranteed signs He’s speaking to you, so you can stop missing it.

But First…Does God Really Answer Prayers?

Here’s the thing. You may be living a life that looks gorgeous from the outside but fits you like a cheap suit. Drowning in misery while telling yourself to suck it up and just be happy. Like I did for way too long in my good-looking, toxic relationship.

So you hurl your prayers towards heaven. But it feels like every one of them plummets into the unbridgeable abyss between you and God. Because every single time, it seems like His answer is to stay silent.

Still, here you are, drowning in your situation with no idea what to do next. Still crying out to God for help—for rescue—because nothing else is working. And still looking like all you’re gonna get for an answer is crickets.

Who could possibly be surprised if, as I did, you’ve come to all sorts of wrong conclusions because of what seems like His lack of an answer? Like thinking you’re not special to Him, and maybe He doesn’t love you the way you thought He did.

Related: 5 Surprising Reasons God Is Silent In Your Life

My darling, you couldn’t be more off-base.

Why, even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not; you are of more value than many sparrows.

Luke 12:7 (ESV)

Even more? God always answers your prayers. Every single one. Always.

Blessed be God, because he has not rejected my prayer or removed his steadfast love from me!

Psalm 66:20 (ESV)

So what could be the reasons why God seems deaf to your earnest prayers?

Well, as it turns out, you’re the deaf one. And you’re not hearing Him for three reasons that come down to how God answers prayers.

How Does God Answer Prayers?

You may be re-praying an already answered prayer because you’re missing what God says. This is usually because nobody’s told you—or reminded you lately—that God answers prayers in 3 ways.

Rather watch the 3 ways God answers prayers? Jump to the video.

1. When God says yes in unexpected ways

If you’re like me, once you’ve decided you want something, you latch onto what you think is the best way it should happen for you. So when God chooses a different method of unfolding His plan, you completely miss it as an answer to your prayers. Simply because it came in a way you didn’t expect.

The solution here is to attach yourself like a barnacle to the goal God’s given you but stay flexible about the route to get there.

2. When God says no and you’re not trying to hear that

On the other hand, you may be ignoring God’s answer because He’s saying no and you don’t want to accept it. So you willfully go spiritually deaf and blind, blocking out anything He says that you don’t want to hear.

3. When the answer requires waiting on God

Behind door number 3 is God’s answer of “not yet”. In this impatient age of instant gratification, no one wants to wait for what they want. Everyone thinks they should have it all right now. Which sucks if this is you because God doesn’t work on anyone’s timetable except His.

Related: How To Be Sure That Trusting God’s Timing Is The Right Choice

If you’re in a “no” or “not yet” situation, you may find yourself muting God through sin or stubbornly seeking what’s outside of His will for you.

If you are, remind yourself of how His plans compare to yours.

Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. Glory to him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever! Amen.

Ephesians 3:20-21 (NLT)

Now you know the 3 ways God answers prayers. But how do you know for sure when God is answering your prayers?

Let’s explore some signs that He’s answering you, so you can start hearing Him.

4 Signs God Is Answering Your Prayers

Before we dive into the signs, please know that God can answer your prayers however He wants. He’s our all-powerful God of the universe. He’s not limited in any way.

However, these are three common ways God may be talking to you. Plus one less common way, which we’ll leave for last.

1. God Is Answering Your Prayers through Scripture

God always speaks through His word.

For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.

Romans 15:4 (ESV)

Often when you’re praying about something specific, God will answer by repeatedly bringing similar scriptures to your attention.

For example, as I spiraled into feeling more and more unworthy and unloved in my toxic relationship, I kept praying for my partner to love me. Do you know what God gave me for an answer? He kept leading me to scriptures about true love.

God was showing me that I already had the love I was desperately seeking from my partner…from God Himself. I already had the love I needed in Him. But I read all those scriptures He showed me and completely missed His answer.

So you see, God may answer your prayers through His word. But you need to stay sharp and pay attention if you’re going to hear Him.

2. God Is Answering Your Prayers through Your Desires

God may also answer your prayers by planting a new desire in your heart. Or He may give you a vision or dream in answer to your request. Like He did for Cornelius—a God-fearing, praying man (Acts 10:1-2).

We don’t know the specifics of what Cornelius prayed for, but God sure answered him.

About the ninth hour of the day he saw clearly in a vision an angel of God come in and say to him, “Cornelius.” And he stared at him in terror and said, “What is it, Lord?” And he said to him, “Your prayers and your alms have ascended as a memorial before God. And now send men to Joppa and bring one Simon who is called Peter.

Acts 10:1-5 (ESV)

Not to bum you out, but God probably won’t answer your prayers with a dramatic angelic visitation the way He did for Cornelius.

Of course, He totally can if He wants to. But the deep inner knowing He gives you through the power of His Holy Spirit—who indwells you as a born-again believer in Jesus Christ—is just as valid.

So, for example, if you’re praying for God to help you stop hating your well-paying job, He may answer by planting a new desire in you. A desire where praise, promotions, and money don’t motivate you anymore. But where instead you care more about changing people’s lives in ways you never thought of or wanted to before.

A new desire like this can be a sign of God answering your prayers.

Be warned, though: Don’t mistake your desire for God’s will.

Test your desire against God’s word. If they don’t line up, the desire is from you, not from God.

3. God Is Answering Your Prayers through Others

God may also answer your prayers through godly wisdom and counsel.

Take good counsel and accept correction—that’s the way to live wisely and well.

Proverbs 19:20 (MSG)

Spoiler alert: you can only get godly counsel if you ask for it.

Nothing’s wrong with trying to figure things out on your own sometimes. But God gave you a community of believers for a reason.

Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ.

Galatians 6:2 (NLT)

As with your new desires, check the counsel you receive against God’s word to be sure they line up.

If they don’t and you find yourself wondering which way to go, remember this rule of thumb: God’s word always beats opposing “wise” human counsel.

4. God May Answer Your Prayers Audibly

Less commonly, God can answer your prayers by speaking to you audibly. Jesus did this with Saul on the Damascus road.

And falling to the ground, he heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” The men who were traveling with him stood speechless, hearing the voice but seeing no one.

Acts 9:4, 7 (ESV)

This encounter radically changed Saul’s life. After it was over he became Paul, the main bearer of the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles.

In my experience, any time God speaks to you audibly, you’re in for a massive, life-changing pivot, like Saul-Paul.

And like me.

This was exactly how God answered my prayer one night after five years of desperate, futile begging over the unhealthy, no-good relationship I felt trapped in.

Yep, even after I’d ignored His warnings and answers for those entire five years, our gracious God answered me yet again when I was finally ready to hear Him.

This time, God caught me off-guard by answering me audibly. On top of which, what He had to say surprised me. But the moment I heard Him, the rightness of His answer settled into my heart. And peace washed over me like a wave of comfort.

In the split second after God answered me, I finally—thankfully—dared to listen to Him. I accepted His invitation to transform my life forever, which He’s been doing ever since.

Bonus: As a bonus for joining my weekly newsletter, get this free printable download—The Hearing God Cheat Sheet. It gives you 6 guaranteed signs He’s speaking to you, so you can stop missing it.

How Do I Know When My Prayer Is Answered?

Know this truth: God will answer your prayer. But He’ll do it in His way and timing, which is always the right time, even when it feels long in coming.

Your job is to keep praying and seeking Him for an answer, whether or not it’s the one you want.

The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him.

Lamentations 3:25 (ESV)

As for how you’ll know when He’s answered your prayer. It’s your job to learn how to recognize His voice so you’ll know it when you hear it. This means you need to get up close and personal with God.

My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.

John 10:27 (ESV)

It’s also your job to do what He tells you, when He tells you.

And if you’re still not sure you’re hearing Him, stop overthinking things and take the next best step in faith, knowing:

1. He’ll catch you if you fall.
2. He’ll open a door if it’s the way He wants you to go.
3. You’ll meet a closed door if God doesn’t want you to go that way.

So how can you recognize signs that God is answering your prayers?

The answer’s easy but the doing of it requires you to bulk up your faith and trust muscles: Become an expert at staying flexible, tuning in to Him, and keeping your eyes peeled.

For God speaks in one way, and in two, though man does not perceive it.

Job 33:14 (ESV)

Before you go, get your FREE printable download to help conquer your confusion—The Essential Guide to Finding Clarity.

Did you love it? Please share it!