Does it do any good to pray? Is God listening? Will He answer your prayers? Just what should you expect when you pray? And what should you do once you have prayed?

God always listens to the prayers of anyone who is seeking Him with a heart willing to do His will. If you are willing to do what God wants you to do, then you can be sure He is listening to your prayers.

God always answers the prayers of one with a willing heart, too. Just as with requests we make of other people, sometimes the answer is "yes," sometimes the answer is, "no," and sometimes the answer is, "wait." But God does answer our prayers:
 

It is important to remember that God does not always answer our prayers immediately. He answers our prayers when it is best for Him to answer them. Sometimes that can be immediately, sometimes it can be a very long time, and sometimes it is somewhere in between. Because God always knows what is best and will do what is best for us if we will trust Him, it is our job to "wait in expectation" once we have prayed:
 

Waiting can be a difficult thing for most of us. Not many people enjoy waiting. After all, we want what we want when we want it. But what we want is not always good for us or others. If God immediately answered our prayers with "yes" every time we prayed, we'd be in a heap of trouble most of the time. It is actually a wonderful thing that we can rest knowing that God loves us so much that He does what is best for us if we trust Him. When we realize that, we can "wait in expectation" like Psalm 5:3 mentions. And what does it mean to "wait in expectation"? It means we wait, expecting God to answer with the best answer for us and at the best possible time.

Remember that God will listen to your prayers, He will answer your prayers, His answer will be what is best for you, and His answer will arrive when it is best. Make your requests to God and wait in expectation.