John 9:31 We know that God does not listen to sinners. He listens to the godly person who does his will.
This may be seen as a contentious statement by many, but it is the theme we are looking at here, not the physical wording…
God is holy. He cannot abide sin. Yet He does listen to us because Christ listens to us. But why should He have to listen to those who are actively rejecting Him or profaning Him?
He doesn’t have to listen to any of it! But He chooses to listen to us because we have accepted Him into our lives. We, as sinners, have accepted holiness into our lives, so He, as God, accepts our prayers into His life.