Does God Answer Prayers on His Day of Rest?

Question of the week: To what degree does God listen to and address our prayers given that his day of rest continues?

My answer: God has been resting from his work of creation since he created Eve and that rest continues (Psalm 95:11, Hebrews 4:1-11). The lack of an “evening was, morning was” phrase for God’s seventh day affirms that God’s seventh day continues through the present. However, like our Sabbath rest, God’s Sabbath rest is a cessation of some work and activity, but not all work and activity. On God’s seventh day, he ceases from his work of creation. That cessation doesn’t include listening to and answering all the prayers humans send up to him. Listening to and responding to the prayers of humans is part of the work of redemption that God dedicates much of his seventh day toward achieving. God’s promise is not to answer all our prayers according to our will but only those prayers that are according to his will. God also wants us to pray according to his specific will, not just some vague approximation of it. Discovering his specific will through persevering prayer, corporately and individually, is one means by which we gain the character and mind of Christ. It’s one of the reasons why God wants us to pray.