The Lord is far from the wicked, but he hears the prayer of the righteous. Proverbs 15:29

It’s Scriptures such as this that strongly imply that the Lord will “start” hearing prayers after a person becomes a believer.

The idea reminded me of an old folk song I sang a long time ago:

Old woman, old woman,
Are you fond of cooking?
Speak a little louder, sir,
I’m very hard of hearing.

Old woman, old woman,
Are you fond of sewing?
Speak a little louder, sir,
I’m very hard of hearing.

Old woman, old woman,
Will you darn my stocking?
Speak a little louder, sir,
I’m very hard of hearing.

Old woman, old woman,
Will you let me court you?
Speak a little louder, sir,
I just begin to hear you.

Old woman, old woman,
Don’t you want to marry me?
Oh, my goodness gracious me,
I think that now I hear you.

He hears us when we’re willing to make the commitment – much like the man finally making a commitment in the song – to bend our knee to His will and believe in the work He has done on our behalf.

Our task, therefore, is to pray that people would take those final steps of obedience. We never know how far or how close someone is to a changed life in Christ, one of the great mysteries in the Kingdom of God.