Bible Verses About Prayer
How to ask, and what asking is for
A daily prayer & verse
Scripture to help you thrive in love, wealth, and health — a little light in your inbox.
The Bible treats prayer as ordinary and constant rather than rare and formal. It is the anxious request handed over in Philippians 4, the private door shut in Matthew 6, the groaning too deep for words in Romans 8. These verses cover how to pray, where to pray, and what to expect back, and they are honest that the last part is not a vending machine. People reach for them when they have run out of their own words, and when they want to know that calling out is heard at all.
12 verses about prayer
- Philippians 4:6-7
- “In nothing be anxious, but in everything, by prayer and petition 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 thoughts in Christ Jesus.”
- Hand the anxiety over as a request with thanksgiving, and a peace beyond understanding guards you.
- 1 Thessalonians 5:17
- “Pray without ceasing.”
- Three words that reframe prayer as a running thread, not a scheduled event.
- Matthew 6:6
- “But you, when you pray, enter into your inner room, and having shut your door, pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.”
- Pray behind a shut door, to the Father who sees in secret, away from any audience.
- James 5:16
- “Confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The insistent prayer of a righteous person is powerfully effective.”
- Confession and prayer for one another, with the insistent prayer of a righteous person called powerfully effective.
- 1 John 5:14-15
- “This is the boldness which we have towards him, that if we ask anything according to his will, he listens to us. And if we know that he listens to us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions which we have asked of him.”
- The condition on bold asking: anything according to his will, he listens to us.
- Matthew 7:7
- ““Ask, and it will be given you. Seek, and you will find. Knock, and it will be opened for you.”
- Ask, seek, knock. An invitation to keep coming, not a guarantee of the exact answer.
- Mark 11:24
- “Therefore I tell you, all things whatever you pray and ask for, believe that you have received them, and you shall have them.”
- Believe you have received it. The hardest verse here, and the easiest to twist into a formula.
- Jeremiah 33:3
- “‘Call to me, and I will answer you, and will show you great and difficult things, which you don’t know.’”
- Call to me, and I will answer, and show you great and difficult things you do not know.
- Matthew 6:9-13
- “Pray like this: “‘Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy. Let your Kingdom come. Let your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our debts, as we also forgive our debtors. Bring us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For yours is the Kingdom, the power, and the glory forever. Amen.’”
- The model prayer. Borrow it whole when your own words will not come.
- Romans 8:26
- “In the same way, the Spirit also helps our weaknesses, for we don’t know how to pray as we ought. But the Spirit himself makes intercession for us with groanings which can’t be uttered.”
- For the times you do not know how to pray, the Spirit intercedes with wordless groanings.
- Psalm 145:18
- “The LORD is near to all those who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.”
- The LORD is near to all who call on him in truth. Nearness tied to honesty.
- Colossians 4:2
- “Continue steadfastly in prayer, watching in it with thanksgiving,”
- Continue steadfastly, watchful and thankful. Prayer framed as a discipline you stay awake for.
Scripture quotations are from the World English Bible (British Edition) (Public Domain).
How to use these verses
For someone who does not know where to start, Matthew 6:9-13 gives you words to borrow when your own will not come. Philippians 4:6-7 is the verse for an anxious night, because it pairs the request with a peace it does not make you manufacture. Read Matthew 7:7 and Mark 11:24 next to 1 John 5:14-15, and let the last one set the terms: the promise is answered prayer according to his will, not answered prayer full stop. When you are too tired to pray well, Romans 8:26 takes the pressure off, because it says the Spirit prays underneath your weakness.
A moment to reflect
It is worth being honest about the verses that sound like a blank cheque. Matthew 7:7 and Mark 11:24 are the ones people quote when they want a guarantee, and read alone they seem to give one. But the Bible does not leave them alone. 1 John 5:14-15 attaches the condition out loud: the confidence is for asking according to his will. Jesus himself prayed for a cup to pass and then said not my will. So prayer here is not a technique for bending outcomes. It is calling on someone who is near, who listens, and who sometimes answers with a no you did not want and a peace you did not expect.
A verse worth keeping, each day
One short note — a verse, a line of context, and nothing else. Start where Philippians 4:6-7 starts.
Frequently asked
What is the best Bible verse about prayer?
Philippians 4:6-7 is the most reached-for, because it tells you what to do with anxiety and promises a peace that guards the heart. For words to actually pray, Matthew 6:9-13 gives you the model prayer Jesus taught.
Does the Bible say God will give you anything you ask for in prayer?
Not without a condition. Matthew 7:7 and Mark 11:24 sound unconditional on their own, but 1 John 5:14-15 sets the terms: God hears and answers what we ask according to his will. The Bible presents prayer as trusting God, not controlling the outcome.
How should I pray when I do not know what to say?
Romans 8:26 says the Spirit helps your weakness and intercedes with groanings that cannot be put into words, so wordless prayer still counts. When you want words to borrow, pray the pattern in Matthew 6:9-13 as it stands.