This article is an excerpt from my book, Prayer A to Z.

There is really only one prayer that a non-Christian can pray with the assurance that God will hear him.  It is the prayer for mercy—from a humble heart that sincerely has decided to go God’s way.   Any other prayers that are uttered by a non-Christian are an abomination to God and are not heard.  Why?  Well, it is not because God is not good.  He is good (Read Matthew 5:43-45).   It is because He can not grant any other request of the unsaved, because they naturally do not do what is right or seek after God (Romans 3:10-11).  Isaiah 64:6 tells us that the unsaved are unclean and all their righteousness are like filthy rags to God.  Therefore, God will not listen to their prayers because all their requests are made with selfish, ungodly motives.

Listen to what…