100+ Bible Verses About Prayer

Use this guide to better understand what the entire Bible says about prayer and be provided scriptures on prayer.

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1. The nature of prayer.

Prayer can often be confusing.

What is it?

Is it like a magic 8 ball that God uses to decide whether our lives will be full of joy or pain?

No.

Just by reading the passages below, you will get a sense of exactly what prayer is from God’s point of view so that you can better utilize this powerful tool that God has given us to live healthy spiritual lives—access to the Father through Christ by the power of the Spirit.

“If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” (2 Chronicles 7:14)

“Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you.” (Jeremiah 29:12)

“Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known.” (Jeremiah 33:3)

“Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.” (Matthew 18:19-20)

“And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.” (Matthew 21:22)

“And I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.” (Luke 11:9)

“Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.” (John 14:13-14)

“First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” (1 Timothy 2:1-4)

“Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” (Hebrews 4:16)

“And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.” (1 John 5:14-15)

“And whatever we ask we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him.” (1 John 3:22)

2. The purpose of prayer.

Prayer can often feel purposeless.

“None of my prayers get answered anyway.”

Don’t they?

We are assured that God hears them and acts on them. But his actions may not be what we expected, desired, or wished. However, we are assured that God’s answers to our prayers—some more obvious than others—are always the right course of action and for our good (Romans 8:28).

“He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the Lord, ‘My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.’ For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness is a shield and buckler. You will not fear the terror of the night, nor the arrow that flies by day.’” (Psalm 91:1-4)

“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem! ‘May they be secure who love you!’” (Psalm 122:6)

“And I will put this third into the fire, and refine them as one refines silver, and test them as gold is tested. They will call upon my name, and I will answer them. I will say, ‘They are my people’; and they will say, ‘The Lord is my God.’” (Zechariah 13:9)

“Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” (Matthew 26:41)

“And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart.” (Luke 18:1)

“I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” (Romans 12:1-2)

“Praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints.” (Ephesians 6:18)

“Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.” (James 5:14)

3. How prayer works.

What is actually happening when we pray?

God anticipated that we would be curious about this, which is why the Bible speaks so much about this basic mechanics of prayer.

“Seek the Lord and his strength; seek his presence continually!” (1 Chronicles 16:11)

“The Lord is far from the wicked, but he hears the prayer of the righteous.” (Proverbs 15:29)

“But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear.” (Isaiah 59:2)

“If I had cherished iniquity in my heart, the Lord would not have listened.” (Psalm 66:18)

“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.” (Matthew 7:7)

“Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.” (Mark 11:24)

“And I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent; or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!’” (Luke 11:9-13)

“Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.” (John 14:13)

“If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.” (John 15:7)

“Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.” (Romans 8:26)

“For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus. (1 Timothy 2:5)

“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.” (James 1:5)

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9)

“You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.” (James 4:2-3)

4. The command to pray.

It’s very easy to treat prayer as an optional part of the Christian life.

But the Bible is very clear that prayer is something Christians ought to be doing.

The Bible commands Christians multiple times to pray through the words of the prophets, Jesus, and the Apostles.

“But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you.” (Luke 6:27-28)

“But stay awake at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are going to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.” (Luke 21:36)

“Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.” (Romans 12:12)

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6-7)

“Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving.” (Colossians 4:2)

“Pray without ceasing.” (1 Thessalonians 5:17)

“First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.” (1 Timothy 2:1-2)

“Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.” (James 5:16)

5. Examples of prayer.

Prayer can sometimes feel arbitrary.

“Where do I start?”

“What should I say?”

God anticipated these questions, which is why he supplied us with a multitude of examples of prayer.

Below is a list of longer prayers that you can look up in your own Bible. Some of these prayers take up an entire chapter in the Bible.

“Let my prayer be counted as incense before you, and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice!” (Psalm 141:2)

“And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed.” (Mark 1:35)

“Now Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he finished, one of his disciples said to him, ‘Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.’” (Luke 11:1)

1. Abraham intercedes for Sodom — Genesis 18:22-33

2. Solomon’s prayer for wisdom (1 Kings 3:5-14)

3. Prayer of desperation (Psalm 22)

4. The tax collector’s prayer (Luke 18:9-14)

5. Saul’s prayer (Acts 22:4-16)

6. The wedding at Cana (John 2:1-11)

7. Mary’s prayer (The Magnificat; Luke 1:46-55)

8. Prayer of surrender to God (Matthew 26:36-46; Mark 14:32-42; Luke 22:40-46)

9. The Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6:9-13; Luke 11:2-4)

10. Prayer of forgiveness (Luke 23:34)

6. God answering prayer.

The Bible assures us that God does answer prayer.

This is one of the primary reasons we are commanded to pray—because it actually works!

“When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their troubles.” (Psalm 34:17)

“Evening and morning and at noon I utter my complaint and moan, and he hears my voice.” (Psalm 55:17)

“Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise. Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth.” (James 5:13-18)

“And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.” (1 John 5:14-15)

7. How to pray.

Jesus and the Apostles instruct us not only about whether we should pray, but what are good ways of praying.

If you feel lost in your own prayer life, or are leading those who feel lost, the prescriptive treatments of prayer in the Bible offer Christians a fantastic place to begin.

“And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.” (Matthew 6:5-8)

“Pray then like this: ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.’” (Matthew 6:9-13)

“In these days he went out to the mountain to pray, and all night he continued in prayer to God.” (Luke 6:12)

“And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.” (Acts 2:42)

“We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you.” (Colossians 1:3)

“I desire then that in every place the men should pray, lifting holy hands without anger or quarreling.” (1 Timothy 2:8)

Over to you

Meditate on these passages of Scripture.

Pray through them.

Use each verse as a prompt for reflection and devotion to God each day.

These verses were inspired by God in order to inspire us to reach out to God, take him at his word, and ask for what we most deeply desire.

We have a guarantee that, in Christ, our prayers are always heard by God, even when he plans to give us what we really need rather than what we merely want.

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Prayer is vital to the Christian life.

But sometimes, it can be difficult to find the motivation to pray.

Whether due to stress, time constraints, or sheer overwhelm, despite the value of prayer in the life of the Christian, it can easily become the first thing we discard when we need it most.

Here, we will overview what the Bible teaches about prayer by supplying you with a list of over 100 bible verses about prayer: