If we have the Bible as God’s Word, can we really say that sometimes God is silent when we pray and don’t get an answer?

on Aug 1, 2026

From the writings of the Rev. Billy Graham

Q: I have some friends who read the Bible but refuse to become Christians. They say that they like certain Scriptures that speak of God’s unconditional love but don’t like the judgmental parts. They also say that God is silent and never answers their prayers. If we have the Bible as God’s Word, can we really say that sometimes God is silent when we pray and don’t get an answer? – U.P.

A: Many people want to hear what God says just out of curiosity. They want to analyze and dissect it in their own test tubes. To these people, God may remain the great cosmic silence “out there somewhere.” He communicates to those who are willing to hear and receive Him, and willing to obey Him.

Jesus said that we must become humble as little children, and God has most often revealed Himself to the meek and the humble – to a shepherd boy like David, to a rough desert man like John the Baptist, to shepherds watching their flocks, to a girl named Mary.

How does God speak? How can a blind man see? How can a deaf man hear? From the beginning, God spoke to man. Adam heard the voice of the Lord in the garden of Eden. Adam had two sons, Cain and Abel, and God spoke to them. Cain spurned that which was revealed to him, but Abel was obedient to the Word of God. In the beginning, God by His revelation began building a bridge between Himself and His creation. It is a great mistake for people to think that prayer is only for the purpose of asking something of God. Prayer, first and foremost, is for the sinner to pray to God for forgiveness of sin. Whether prayer changes our situation or not, one thing is certain: prayer will change us.

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(This column is based on the words and writings of the late Rev. Billy Graham.)