Top 7 Bible Verses About Prayer and Praying

We are commanded to always pray so what are some of the top Bible verses on prayer and how might they help you be more consistent in prayer?

Prayer is…

Prayer has been described as having a long talk with a great God.  It is pouring out your heart to God about all your desires, needs, and requests for others.  I believe every prayer should begin with praising our great God.  Then we should be pouring out our thanks to Him in gratitude for all that He has already done. Next, we should make our prayer requests for others and then for ourselves but above all for His will to be done over our own and for His name to be glorified in the answer to our prayers.  Nothing else matters but the glory of God.  Everything else we pray for is secondary in nature but the will of God is always that His name is glorified and that should always be our express desire above anything else in all we do, in all we say, in all we think, and in all of our prayers.

Psalm 4:1 “Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness! You have given me relief when I was in distress. Be gracious to me and hear my prayer!”

In all my years of reading the Bible, I apparently missed this one!  This is what prayer is. It is calling on God to give relief to whatever it is you are asking for.  The Psalmist declares that He has already “given” relief in his distress” so in this prayer, the Psalmist apparently had an answer while still praying but it does appear that he is still seeking more relief and so asks “Be gracious to me and hear my prayer!” Of course God hears our prayers but what he means is answer it.

Psalm 145:18-19 “The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth. He fulfills the desire of those who fear him; he also hears their cry and saves them.”

It is interesting that when we fall on our face and call on Him, He is near to them as it says to “all that call on him” so if you think you’re prayers are bouncing off the ceiling, think again. Don’t depend on what you feel; depend on what God’s Word says.  He hears our cries and saves us from our many trials and tribulations.  The Psalmist declares that “He fulfills the desire of those who fear Him” which means He hears those who have a deep, reverential and holy fear or respect.  You tend to obey those whom you fear…like a speed limit sign with a police officer sitting next to it.  Fear or respect leads to obedience.

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

Some people dispute the biblical fact that God doesn’t hear and answer the prayers of sinners but unless they have repented and trusted in Christ, He considers them as wicked and He is far from the wicked but He will hear “the prayer of the righteous.”  If you have any unconfessed sin or you are regarding sin (that is you are contemplating some sin you’re going to commit) He might hear you but He won’t answer your prayers.  This is supported by Scripture as it says “If I had cherished iniquity in my heart, the Lord would not have listened” (Psalm 66:18).

James 4:2b-3 “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.”

It might appear that these verses are not about prayer but if you read the context of James 4, you can see that prayers are not being answered because of wrong motives; seeking self-gratification and only wanting things because of coveting and lusting after them.  This is contrary to the will of God and these requests God will clearly not answer.  If we are asking for others or for God’s glory and also for God’s will to be done, there is a much better chance that God will hear and answer that prayer than one that is a me-centered prayer and all about satisfying the self.

Romans 8:26-28 “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.  And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God,”

Have you ever been stuck in praying and didn’t exactly know what to pray for?  I think we all have.  This is where the Holy Spirit can help us when we are unable to say exactly what it is we are praying for.  Paul acknowledged that “we do not know what to pray for as we ought” so “the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.”  That means that when we are in such desperate need and don’t even know what words to use, we groan from our agony, not knowing how to put it into words.  Thankfully, the Holy Spirit can search our hearts and He will intercede for us, and even better, help us to pray “according to the will of God” which is essential when praying.

Colossians 4:2-4 “Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving.  At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison— that I may make it clear, which is how I ought to speak.”

I know of several people who try to pray at any time that is available;  while driving to work, while showering, while walking, while working…and so that is why we are commanded to “continue steadfastly in prayer” but “with thanksgiving.”  Every prayer we utter should contain thanksgiving to God. If you want to know what to pray for, take a sheet of paper and start writing out all the things we have reason to give thanks; our salvation, our job, our family, our church, our home, our freedom…  Paul sought prayers for a completely unselfish reason as he wanted an open “door for the word” so that he might “declare the mystery of Christ (the gospel)” and that Paul might “make it clear…how [he] ought to speak.”  What a great prayer request which is still important today.

James 5:16-18 “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.  Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit.”

God has not limited His power in our day and so since we know He is no respecter of persons, there is no reason not to ask God for big things because He is a big God.  Nothing is too hard for God and so pray in faith and believe and if it’s His will, and then ask big.  Don’t limit what God can do by what we think He might do.  Believe, pray, have faith, because that’s how mountains are moved and cast into the seas.

Conclusion

God is ready, willing, and certainly able to answer our prayers but we must confess all of our sins, we must pray according to God’s will, we must pray in faith and we must pray that God is glorified in the answer to our prayer.  I think we should open with praising our great God.  Then we should be pouring out our thanks for how much He has already done for us.  We can then pray for others, pray for those who are not yet saved, and above all…never quit, be consistent, pray always and as Jesus said “that men ought always to pray, and not to not lose heart” (Luke 18:1).

Another Reading on Patheos to Check Out: What Did Jesus Really Look Like: A Look at the Bible Facts

Article by Jack Wellman

Jack Wellman is Pastor of the Mulvane Brethren church in Mulvane Kansas. Jack is also the Senior Writer at What Christians Want To Know whose mission is to equip, encourage, and energize Christians and to address questions about the believer’s daily walk with God and the Bible. You can follow Jack on Google Plus or check out his book  Blind Chance or Intelligent Design available on Amazon