First, God knows everything:
Psalm 44:21 (NIV)
would not God have discovered it, since he knows the secrets of the heart? Acts 1:24 (NIV)
Then they prayed, “Lord, you know everyone’s heart. Show us which of these two you have chosen
Proverbs 15:3 (NIV)
The eyes of the Lord are everywhere, keeping watch on the wicked and the good. Jeremiah 16:17 (NIV)
My eyes are on all their ways; they are not hidden from me, nor is their sin concealed from my eyes.
Psalm 139:7-8 (NIV)
7 Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? 8 If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
So, yes, God certainly ‘knows’ and basically ‘hears’ every prayer that is prayed. But that isn’t what you really want to know. What you really want to know is “does God act on prayers of non-Christians? Will God respond to the prayer of an unbeliever? Will God take action based on the prayer of an unbeliever?” You may hear someone ask you to pass the salt at the dinner table, but it doesn’t have any meaning unless you act on what you heard. Right? So, when the Bible talks about God ‘hearing’ prayers, it is usually talking about the kind of hearing that also involves a response or an answer to a prayer. Remember, when God answers a prayer there are three possible answers: Yes, No, and wait. “Yes, you can have what you asked; yes, I’ll give you your request; yes, I’ll deliver you from…” Or, “No, it isn’t good for you; no, I’ve got something else planned that is better; no, you’re going to have to live with the consequences of your actions, but I’ll walk with you through this…” Or, maybe “wait, you’re not ready for this answer yet.” Look at this scripture:
Proverbs 15:29 (NIV)
29 The Lord is far from the wicked but he hears the prayer of the righteous.
Psalm 66:18 (NIV)
18 If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened;
1 Peter 3:12 (NIV)
12 For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”
Hebrews 11:6 (NIV)
6 And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. 2 Chronicles 15:2 (NIV)
2 He went out to meet Asa and said to him, “Listen to me, Asa and all Judah and Benjamin. The Lord is with you when you are with him. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will forsake you.
We are all sinners; we all do evil every single day. So this scripture could imply that God doesn’t listen to anyone’s prayers. But, we must consider the WHOLE Bible, not just specific scriptures. We know that throughout the Bible, God has shown that His primary purpose in everything He does has as its goal: a meaningful relationship with us. Therefore, we know God wants to hear from us. And, we also see where the scripture says that God hears the prayers of a righteous person. So, there must be someone, somewhere, that God hears and is willing to act on their prayers. What is the definition, in Biblical terms, of righteous? See this scripture:
John 14:6 (NIV)
6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 1 Timothy 2:5 (NIV)
5 For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,
A righteous person is one that is ‘right’ with God. A person that has their relationship right with God. According to these scriptures, there is only one way to God, through Jesus Christ. So to be right with God, one has to have a relationship with God through Jesus Christ, and, has to be right with God. Right with God, as in prayed up, confessed up, worshiped up, etc. If I sin against my dad by driving his car without permission, I must ask for forgiveness and get right with him before our relationship can continue. I will always be his son, but we won’t have much of a relationship until I get right with him. Same with God. Once you are a child of God through your adoption into the family of God because of your acceptance in faith of what Christ did on the cross for you, you are always a child of God. But how you act toward Him will determine the value of your relationship. I find that my dad is much more willing to give me what I ask for when I’m right with him. God is God to everything and everyone regardless of what you believe or don’t believe, but He is only Father to those who have chosen to be His children through Jesus Christ. These scriptures show us that when we are right with God, He is much more attentive to our requests. James 5:16 (NIV)
16 Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. We see from this scripture, when you are right with God, not only does God hear your prayers, He is very likely to act on them. Prayers are important. In the Old Testament, the children of Israel built a golden calf to worship. God told Moses that He was going to wipe them out and start over. Moses prayed and asked God to forgive the people. The Bible says God changed His mind because of Moses’ prayer. Prayer is important. So, you ask the question again, ‘does God hear the prayers of non-Christians?’ Look at this scripture: Acts 10:1-8 (NIV)
1 At Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion in what was known as the Italian Regiment. 2 He and all his family were devout and God-fearing; he gave generously to those in need and prayed to God regularly. 3 One day at about three in the afternoon he had a vision. He distinctly saw an angel of God, who came to him and said, “Cornelius!” 4 Cornelius stared at him in fear. “What is it, Lord?” he asked. The angel answered, “Your prayers and gifts to the poor have come up as a memorial offering before God. 5 Now send men to Joppa to bring back a man named Simon who is called Peter. 6 He is staying with Simon the tanner, whose house is by the sea.” 7 When the angel who spoke to him had gone, Cornelius called two of his servants and a devout soldier who was one of his attendants. 8 He told them everything that had happened and sent them to Joppa. In the account of Cornelius, we find a non-Christian who prayed, and God heard his prayers. So, it seems that God does hear the prayers of non-Christians and acts on them. But notice God’s actions. God moves decisively to bring Cornelius into a right relationship with Him through Jesus Christ. This proves what God has said in other parts of the Bible. We see in the scriptures listed above, ‘God is found by those that seek Him’ and ‘God will reward those that earnestly seek Him.’ So, what’s the bottom line? Does God hear the prayers of a non-Christian? Better yet, Does God act on the prayers of a non-Christian? 1) God hears and knows everything, even the things in the innermost parts of our hearts. 2) God is GOD and therefore can do anything He wants. Most of the time, we cannot understand why God chooses to do this and not do that. But God can see eternity and we can’t. Since God cannot sin, we can know He always has in mind what is best for us and those around us. Therefore, yes, God can answer the prayers of a non-Christian if He wants. 3) From the example of Cornelius and other scriptures, we see that God is most interested in hearing and answering the prayers of people who are earnestly seeking Him. 4) Since entire New Testament is focused on our need for Jesus Christ, it seems to reason that when a non-Christian earnestly seeks God, God’s first priority is for them to enter into a meaningful relationship with Him through Jesus Christ. Just as is shown in Cornelius’ case. 5) Since the scripture says that God turns His face way from those that do evil, it also stands to reason that God will, most times, not act on the prayers of a person that is just in trouble, wants out, and will simply return to their normal lives without God after the trouble has passed. So, ‘does God act on the prayers of non-Christians?’ Yes and no. But mostly, in my interpretation of these scriptures, no. | 
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