After reading several children’s books with my daughter, I told her that I was going to read a grown-up book for a while and then we would look at books together again. I opened the cover and began to read in silence. A few minutes later, she looked at me doubtfully and said, “Mommy, you aren’t really reading.” She assumed that since I wasn't speaking, I wasn't processing the words.
Like reading, prayer can be silent. Hannah, who longed for a child of her own, visited the temple and “spoke in her heart” as she prayed. Her lips were moving, but “her voice was not heard” (1 Sam. 1:13). Eli the priest saw but misunderstood what was happening. She explained, “I . . . have poured out my soul before the Lord” (v.15). God heard Hannah’s silent prayer request and gave her a son (v.20).
Since God searches our hearts and minds (Jer. 17:10), He sees and hears every prayer—even the ones that never escape our lips. His all-knowing nature makes it possible for us to pray with full confidence that He will hear and answer (Matt. 6:8,32). Because of this, we can continually praise God, ask Him for help, and thank Him for blessings—even when no one else can hear us.