Are you looking for the best bible scriptures on prayer that will help you improve your prayer life? If yes, then you came to the right place. In this article, we are going to list 10 of the best Bible verses on prayer and explain each of these passages to help you learn what they mean.
What is prayer and why should we pray?
In its simplest definition, prayer is the way we talk to God. It is among the most important spiritual tools that we can use to get closer to our Heavenly Father.
There are many reasons we pray. We pray to thank God for all His blessings. We pray to praise and worship Him. We pray to ask God to meet our needs and desires. We pray to simply share our innermost thoughts, struggles, and endeavors in life.
I have expounded on these concepts in my online course entitled, “Teach Us To Pray.” In this master course, you’ll learn not just what prayer is and why we should pray, but how you can effectively pray according to the Scripture. So, if you’re ready to transform your prayer life, don’t miss joining our Teach Us To Pray Course.
With that said, let’s now go to our list of the 10 best scriptures on prayer now.
Top 1: Matthew 6:9-13 (Luke 11:2-4)
9 In this manner, therefore, pray:
Our Father in heaven,
Hallowed be Your name.10 Your kingdom come.
Your will be done
On earth as it is in heaven.11 Give us this day our daily bread.
12 And forgive us our debts,
As we forgive our debtors.13 And do not lead us into temptation,
But deliver us from the evil one.
For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.
Matthew 6:9-13 is the top 1 scripture on prayer because it is the direct teaching we receive from our Master and Savior, Jesus Christ (Yahshua).
Matthew 6:9-13 talks about what most people call the Lord’s Prayer or more accurately called the Model prayer. This passage gives us a model of prayer, which is Christ’s response to His disciples who want to learn how to pray.
As you can see, if there’s one Person who should teach us to pray, it should be Jesus Christ (Yahshua the Messiah). He gives us a model where we can pattern our prayers.
With Matthew 6:9-13, we learn the following:
- To whom we should pray to
- How we should include praise and worship in our prayer
- We must always pray for God’s Kingdom to reign here on earth
- We must ask for God’s will to be done
- We should ask for our daily sustenance
- We should ask for forgiveness as we also forgive others
- We ask for God’s deliverance from temptation
- We ask for God’s protection from the evil one
Top 2: 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
In our number 2 spot, we have 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, which is part of Paul’s writing to the Christians in Thessalonica.
Paul instructs the Thessalonians to pray rejoice always, pray without ceasing, and give thanks for everything. There are just so many golden nuggets to unpack here.
Rejoicing, praying, and giving thanks have a strong correlation with each other. People who pray more and are grateful are more likely to be joyful. People who are joyful and always give thanks are more likely to pray. Those who always rejoice and pray always would give thanks.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 ended with the statement, “for this is the will of God.” So, if you’re asking what is the will of God, then this is the answer. His will for us to rejoice, praise, and give thanks! This is such an important scripture on prayer as we can see here.
Top 3: Philippians 4:6–7
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.
The Apostle Paul identifies prayer as an antidote to anxiety. As you can see, anxiety is a great problem in our society today. That’s why, I have chosen Philippians 4:6-7 as our top 3 Bible verse on prayer.
The worst part of anxiety is that anxiety doesn’t just stop there, it actually leads to bigger problems such as panic attacks, depression, and even suicidal thoughts.
Part of anxiety is being worried for our life. We think too much about our life that we forget to place our trust and faith in God.
Jesus Christ tells us in Matthew 6:25-27:
25 “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?
Prayer is a great way for us to stop worrying and being anxious. With prayer, we stop doubting and start believing. With prayer, we look beyond our present circumstances and focus on the promises of God.
We can all prevent these problems when we pray to God with thanksgiving and surrender the things that cause us to worry and get anxious. That’s the power of prayer. That’s how it can help you improve your life!
Top 4: Matthew 6:5-7
“And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly. And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words.
In this scripture on prayer, Jesus Christ (Yahshua) instructs us about what we should not do when we pray. He tells us not to be like the hypocrites who love to pray in places where people can see them.
The people admire the hypocrites because of their outward appearance of holiness. Yes, people might be impressed, but God is not impressed. These hypocrites already have their reward in the form of getting the respect and admiration of the people around them. Yet, they are missing out on the more important reward, which is the reward given by God.
Aside from that, we must also not use vain reparations in prayer. We should not follow the ways of the pagans who repeat their prayers word for word with the motivation of getting God to bend to their will.
Top 3 Prayer Books in April 2024
Top 5: 2 Chronicles 7:14
If My people who are called by My name will 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.
Humility plays a huge role in the effectiveness of our prayer. Without a humble heart, we won’t even be praying!
Pride prevents us from coming before God’s throne of grace. Pride makes us full of ourselves rather than full of the Holy Spirit. Pride makes us want to follow our will rather than God’s will.
As you can see, in this Scripture about prayer, II Chronicles 7:14 mentioned that if only we humble ourselves as individuals or as a nation, we are more inclined to pray and seek God’s face. Not only that, but humble prayers help us to turn from our wicked and unrighteous ways.
When we pray with a humble heart, God will hear our prayers according to His infinite wisdom. Most importantly, Yahweh will forgive our sins and even heal our land.
Top 6: James 5:16
Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.
As frail human beings, our bodies are subject to illnesses and weaknesses. It’s not a matter of if, but it’s a matter of when we are going to get sick. If you’re healthy now, the time will eventually come when your body fades away.
Thus, one of the most common reasons we pray is that we pray for healing. Sadly, the first thing people do when they get sick is look for a doctor or find medicine. In this secular world, it’s rare to find people who think of prayer as their first line of healing.
The Bible strongly encourages us to pray so that we get healed. We don’t just pray for ourselves, we also pray for one another. We pray for healing, good health, and a sound mind.
Most importantly, James (whose real name is Jacob), tells us that a righteous man’s prayer is an effective prayer.
Top 7: 1 John 5:14-15
14 Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. 15 And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.
So many people think of God as a spiritual genie who is required to answer all our prayers. When we don’t get what we need, we become frustrated, angry, and disappointed.
However, we must not forget an important ingredient in our prayer — that is to ask according to God’s will.
In John 14:13-14, the Apostle John mentioned this:
13 And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.
People take this verse as a magic formula for God to hear our prayers. If we ask in Christ’s name, we’ll receive whatever it is that we ask.
Thankfully, Apostle John wrote another scripture on prayer as we read in John 14:13-14. We read that we must ask according to God’s will and not ours. We are to come to God to ask about our needs and the desires of our hearts. However, we must also have a willing heart to accept whatever the answer might be.
Top 8: Matthew 7:7-8
7 “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.
God knows what we want even before we ask for them. He knows our innermost thoughts. He knows what bothers us or what makes us tick. Yet, why do we need to ask if God already knew what we needed?
That’s a good question. Well, the answer lies in what God wants from us. He wants to develop a close relationship with us. Just like a father who knows what his child wants, the father still wants to hear from the child. Why? Because in the process of asking, the child learns to rely on his father and become closer to him.
The same is true with our Heavenly Father. He wants us to ask, seek, and knock. This isn’t just about asking but also doing our part. We can pray all we want but if we don’t play our role, we are asking in vain.
Top 9: Matthew 21:21-22
21 So Jesus answered and said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but also if you say to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ it will be done. 22 And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.”
Faith plays a huge role in our prayer. It is difficult to pray to God when we don’t have faith that He has the ability to perform what we ask of Him.
Hebrews 11:6 tells us:
6 But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.
Faith allows us to put our hope and confidence in God. Having faith means we trust God that no matter what answers He may give to our prayers, it is in our best interest. Faith helps us to be at peace with God, knowing that He is for us and not against us.
Top 10: 1 Timothy 2:1-2
1 Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, 2 for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence.
The Apostle Paul talks about the different types of communication with God. We have supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving thanks. The most important point made by Paul is for prayers be made for all men. This means that we pray not just for our friends, but we must also pray for our enemies.
We read in Matthew 5:43-44:
43 “You have heard that it was said, You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you.
As you can see, if we should pray for our enemies, how much more should we pray for our neighbors, strangers, friends, loved ones, and those who are close to us?
Prayer isn’t just for ourselves, but it is for others. Paul specifically tells us to pray for the rulers and people who are in authority in our land. Why? So that we can live a peaceful and quiet life. So that the leaders support morality and not evil.
Choose your best Scriptures on Prayer
There are more Bible verses when it comes to prayers. However, I believe these 10 scriptures on prayer are among the best of them. These Bible passages about prayers help us better understand what prayer is, how to pray, and most importantly, how we can draw closer to God.
How about you? What prayer verses do you like to be added to our list?
(P.S. If you wish to learn more about communicating with God, don’t hesitate to check out our best online course, “Teach Us To Pray.” In this online course, you’ll learn the biblical definition of prayer, how to pray a prayer that God hears, the powerful reasons you should pray and so much more. Click here to learn more!)
