This is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.
(1 John 5:14-15 NKJV)
There is a way you can know that God hears you when you pray: by praying according to His will. God's Word is His will, so you could say that if we pray according to God's Word, He is listening.
We do this by searching the Scriptures for what God has to say about our situation, then we pray His Word back to Him. For example, I like to pray Psalm 112:1-3 back to God concerning my children:
"Father, I praise You. I am blessed because I reverence You. I delight greatly in Your commandments. And because of this, my descendants (here I name my children) are mighty on the earth. They are my generation. I am the upright, and they will be blessed, in Jesus' name. Wealth and riches will always be in their house, and their righteousness will endure forever."
I believe that the Word I have spoken will surround my children as they grow up, and as adults, they will begin to bear fruit from that Word.
Get into God's Word to find out what He has already said about your situation, and then pray that Word back to Him. I believe you can become confident that He hears and answers your prayers!1
Find a Bible promise that pertains to a situation you are concerned
about, and pray that promise back to God. He will hear you!
1 Suzanne Caldwell, Make Your Day Count magazine (April-June 2003) pp. 30-31.
by Lindsay Roberts
Excerpt permission granted by Harrison House Publishers