1. What is Jehovah’s will regarding prayer, and what encouragement did the apostle Paul give about praying?

JEHOVAH is “the God who gives hope” to all of his faithful people. As the “Hearer of prayer,” he listens to their pleas for help to attain the joyous hope that he sets before them. (Romans 15:13; Psalm 65:2) And through his Word, the Bible, he encourages all of his servants to come to him anytime they wish. He is always there, desiring to receive their inmost concerns. In fact, he encourages them to “persevere in prayer” and to “pray incessantly.”a (Romans 12:12; 1 Thessalonians 5:17) It is Jehovah’s will that all Christians constantly call on him in prayer, pouring out their hearts to him and doing so in the name of his beloved Son, Jesus Christ.​—John 14:6, 13, 14.

³ The disciple James wrote: “Draw close to God, and he will draw close to you.” (James 4:8) Yes, God is neither too lofty nor too far removed to hear our expressions to him, despite our imperfect human condition. (Acts 17:27) Furthermore, he is not indifferent and unconcerned. Says the psalmist: “The eyes of Jehovah are toward the righteous ones, and his ears are toward their cry for help.”​—Psalm 34:15; 1 Peter 3:12.

4. How might Jehovah’s attentiveness to prayer be illustrated?

⁴ Jehovah invites prayer. We might compare this to a gathering where a number of people are together talking. You are there, listening to the others talk. Your role is that of an observer. But then someone turns to you, says your name, and directs his words to you. This arrests your attention in a special way. Similarly, God is always attentive to his people, wherever they may be. (2 Chronicles 16:9; Proverbs 15:3) So he hears our words, protectively and interestedly observing, as it were. When we call upon God’s name in prayer, however, his attention is arrested, and he is now focused on us in an explicit way. By his powers, Jehovah can even detect and comprehend man’s unvoiced petition offered within the hidden recesses of his heart and mind. God assures us that he will draw close to all those sincerely calling upon his name and seeking to stay close to him.​—Psalm 145:18.