PRAYER AND THE SEEKER

God’s Heart Toward Those Who Are Searching

Before we delve into praying as believers - those of us who have already placed our faith in Jesus Christ - his death and coming back to life - for our salvation, I wanted to talk first about how we related to God before that time. Where was God in our "prayers" before we bowed our heads in acceptance of His saving mercy and grace? What about all those times we simply cried out in desperation,

"Help me, God!!!!

If you're OUT THERE, please help me now!"

Scripture assures us that God does not dismiss these cries to Him for help, even though we are unsure and unbelieving. Again and again, the Bible reveals a God who responds to seekers, who listens before belief is fully formed, and who actively draws people toward Himself long before they know His name.

There are so many mysterious things about God and how He interacts with we humans, and I find it reassuring when praying for unbelievers in my circle of friends and acquaintances to know that God is intimately involved with them. Even my concern for them and desire to see them come to know Him is an indication that He is already at work in their lives. So, let's grab our shovels and dig in to see what the Bible has to tell us on this important topic! 🪏

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What Causes a Person to Seek God in the First Place?

The Bible is honest: left to ourselves, we do not naturally seek God.

“There is none who understands;

There is none who seeks after God.”

— Romans 3:11

And yet, Jesus tells us something equally important:

“No one can come to Me unless

the Father who sent Me draws him.”

— John 6:44

Taken together, Scripture reveals a mystery: when someone begins to seek God, it is already evidence that God is at work.

The stirring of the heart, the dissatisfaction with shallow answers, the hunger for truth—these are not self-generated impulses. They are signs of divine invitation.

“I love those who love me,

And those who seek me diligently will find me.”

— Proverbs 8:17

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God Is Not Far from the Seeker

The 17th chapter of Acts is one of my favorites, and this is because Paul is visiting Athens and uses their idol to "The Unknown God" as an amazing evangelistic tool.

When the apostle Paul addressed the Athenians, he spoke to people who were religious, curious, and uncertain—seekers worshiping an “Unknown God.”  He did not tell them God was distant or unreachable. I would have thought he would say something like:

"What do you people think you are doing? You are worshipping an idol - don't you know how much the true God hates that???"

Instead, he met them where they were and declared:

“God… made from one blood every nation of men…

so that they should seek the Lord,

in the hope that they might grope for Him

and find Him,

though He is not far from each one of us.”

— Acts 17:26–27

Wow. Paul is talking with people who have never heard of Jesus Christ, and he declares that God is not far from anyone of them! He tells them - you worship this "unknown God?" Let me tell you who the "Unkown God" actually is!

Scripture consistently affirms this nearness of God - as close as your breath!

“The LORD is near to all who call upon Him,

To all who call upon Him in truth.”

— Psalms 145:18

“Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.”

— James 4:8

God is not waiting for seekers to clean themselves up, believe perfectly, or pray correctly. He is near—listening, attentive, and responsive.

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The Posture of the One Who Finds God

Scripture is clear that how one seeks matters.

“Yes, if you cry out for discernment,

And lift up your voice for understanding,

If you seek her as silver

And search for her as for hidden treasures,

Then you will understand the fear of the LORD,

And find the knowledge of God.”

— Proverbs 2:3–5

This kind of seeking is wholehearted, humble, and unguarded.

“You will seek Me and find Me,

when you search for Me with all your heart.”

— Jeremiah 29:13

God resists pride, but He welcomes humility:

“God resists the proud,

But gives grace to the humble.”

— James 4:6

The seeker who finds God is not the one demanding proof on their own terms, but the one willing to receive truth—even when it disrupts assumptions. I have throughout my life often encouraged seeking friends to just do this: "Ask Him to show you the truth, but don't set up boundaries - ask Him to show you pure truth and to keep you from deception."

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God’s Compassion Toward the Seeker

Many people assume God is distant, displeased, or perpetually disappointed in them. Scripture paints a very, very different picture. Everything God does as He interacts with us - from creating us to saving us - springs from His love, which is boundless!

“I drew them with gentle cords,

With bands of love.”

— Hosea 11:4

“The LORD is merciful and gracious,

Slow to anger,

and abounding in steadfast love.”

— Psalms 103:8

Jesus Himself revealed God’s heart when He wept over Jerusalem:

“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem…

How often I wanted to gather your children together,

as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings,

but you were not willing.”

— Matthew 23:37

Yes—Scripture teaches that judgment comes to those who persistently reject God. But judgment is not God’s desire; it is the result of refusal.

“The Lord is not slack concerning His promise

…but is longsuffering toward us,

not willing that any should perish

but that all should come to repentance.”

— 2 Peter 3:9

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Distress Often Becomes the Doorway to Seeking

God often uses hardship to awaken the heart.

“In their affliction they will earnestly seek Me.”

— Hosea 5:15

“Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I keep Your word.”

— Psalms 119:67

“The LORD is near to the brokenhearted,

and saves those who are crushed in spirit.”

— Psalms 34:18

Suffering does not mean God has withdrawn in cruelty. On the contrary! Very often, it is the very means by which He draws near.

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Seek the LORD While He May Be Found

Scripture offers both invitation and urgency:

“Seek the LORD while He may be found;

call upon Him while He is near.”

— Isaiah 55:6

Jesus Himself assures the seeker:

“Ask, and it will be given to you;

seek, and you will find;

knock, and it will be opened to you.”

— Matthew 7:7

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Be careful! God is near—but hearts can harden. Seeking is not to be postponed indefinitely.

Scripture warns that hearts do not remain neutral indefinitely—they can harden.

“Today, if you will hear His voice,

do not harden your hearts.”

— Hebrews 3:7–8

Hardening does not usually happen all at once. It happens gradually, as initial tenderness gives way to delay, distraction, or quiet resistance.

“But exhort one another daily…

lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.”

— Hebrews 3:13

Scripture shows us that moments of spiritual sensitivity are often contested. Pride whispers that we can remain undecided indefinitely. The enemy works to dull what God has stirred, seeking to snatch away truth before it has time to take root.

“The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers,

so that they cannot see the light of the gospel.”

— 2 Corinthians 4:4

This is why Scripture urges us to respond while the heart is still tender—while God is near and calling is still being heard.

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A Word to the Seeker

If you are seeking, Scripture invites you to ask God directly:

“If any of you lacks wisdom,let him ask of God,

who gives to all liberally and without reproach.”

— James 1:5

Ask Him to show you the truth—all of it.

And seek Him where He has most clearly revealed Himself. I encourage you to prayerfully read through the gospel of John, asking the Holy Spirit to convince you of the truth - to open your spiritual eyes, so to speak. John makes a winsome statement that it would be impossible - the world could not contain enough books - to explain all that Jesus taught, but he says he wrote what he did down for a specific purpose:

“These are written that you may believe

that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God,

and that believing you may have life in His name.”

— John 20:31

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A Word to the Believer Walking with a Seeker

Remember:

“No one can come to Me

unless it has been granted to him

by My Father.”

— John 6:65

God is already at work. When it comes to prayer and the seeker, our role is faithfulness, patience, truth, love, and prayer springing from all of the above!

“The servant of the Lord must not quarrel

but be gentle to all…

if God perhaps will grant them repentance.”

— 2 Timothy 2:24–25

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A Closing Word

Scripture does not leave the seeker wondering whether their searching matters. It gives a quiet, steady assurance—one that does not depend on the strength of faith, the eloquence of prayer, or the clarity of belief, but on the goodness of God Himself.

“The LORD is good to those who wait for Him,

to the soul who seeks Him.”

— Lamentations 3:25

Waiting and seeking are not signs of distance from God; they are often the very place where He is most present. Long before faith is fully formed, long before words are confident or theology is settled, God is already responding to the heart that turns toward Him.

As we move next into the prayer life of the believer—those who have come to know God through Jesus Christ—this truth anchors us: our story with God did not begin when we learned how to pray correctly. It began when He first stirred our hearts to seek Him… and He was already there, listening.

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Interested in knowing how to enter into a personal relationship with God through faith in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ? Say a Salvation Prayer and Receive Jesus Christ Today.

Of course, the saying of a prayer is the reflection of a monumental and life-changing heart decision, but this is a good guide.