What Does the Bible Say About Prayer?

Frequently Asked Questions

• How can I hear God's voice?
• Will prayer help me get out of debt?
• Why doesn't God answer my prayers?
• Does God hear a prayer from a sinner or unsaved person?
• Can illnesses be cured by prayer?
• Should we pray aloud or silently in private?
• How can you know if a premonition or dream is from God?

What is Prayer?

Prayer is loving communication with God. Prayer is the expression of our inner spiritual needs. Through prayer we can find strength of spirit, guidance, wisdom, joy and inner peace (Psalms 118:5-6, Psalms 138:3, Isaiah 58:9-11, Philippians 4:6-7, 1 Peter 5:7). Prayer may be long or short, alone or in a group, silent or aloud, but it should be a true communication with God and not done for public recognition (Matthew 6:5-8). Important aspects of prayer include¹:

• Expressions of faith and trust in God
• Confession of our sins
• Praise of God's mighty deeds
• Thanksgiving for all the good things we have received
• Dedication to serve God and other people
• Requests for our needs and the needs of others

The Lord's Prayer

Jesus spent a lot of time praying. He often went to a solitary place and prayed for hours at a time, especially at difficult times in His ministry (Matthew 14:23, 26:36-41, Mark 1:35, Luke 5:16, 6:12). The famous Lord's Prayer is Jesus' model of the perfect prayer: First, we call God by the affectionate term "Father," and praise His holy name:

Pray like this: Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy. (NLT, Matthew 6:9)

We ask that God's will be done on earth and in our lives:

 May your Kingdom come soon. May your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. (NLT, Matthew 6:10)

We ask to be given the things we need, but we don't ask for things we merely desire:

Give us today the food we need, (NLT, Matthew 6:11)

We ask forgiveness of our sins and acknowledge that we must also forgive those who sin against us (Matthew 5:44, 6:14-15, Mark 11:25, Luke 6:28):

and forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us. (NLT, Matthew 6:12)

Finally, we ask for the strength to resist temptation and evil (Luke 22:40):

 And don't let us yield to temptation, but rescue us from the evil one. (NLT, Matthew 6:13)

God Will Answer Our Prayers, but ...

Jesus said this:

"Ask, and it shall be given to you; seek, and you shall find; knock, and it shall be opened to you. "For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it shall be opened. "Or what man is there among you, when his son shall ask him for a loaf, will give him a stone? "Or if he shall ask for a fish, he will not give him a snake, will he? "If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him! (NAS, Matthew 7:7-11)

God will answer our prayers and give us everything we need and more (Mark 11:24, John 15:7). But a wise parent will not give a child everything he or she wants. Similarly, prayer is not a magical trick to get anything we want or a "quick fix" for problems that we should be solving ourselves. God answers prayer requests in His own way in His own time (Psalms 40:1-3), and will not grant requests that are against His holy and wise purposes (1 John 5:14-15), are selfish in nature, are not in our best long-term interest, or those made with impure motives (Psalms 66:18, Proverbs 28:9, Isaiah 29:13, Isaiah 59:2, Hebrews 11:6, James 4:3).
Often, we must be persistent in prayer (Luke 11:5-13, Luke 18:1-8). The answer, when it comes, may be in a form radically different than what we expected, and we must be alert to that possibility (Deuteronomy 3:23-27, 2 Corinthians 12:7-9). God frequently uses other people, such as physicians, friends, relatives or new acquaintances, to supply an answer to our prayers (Daniel 10:11-12, Acts 9:10-17).
Sometimes, the answer must come from within ourselves and persistent prayer will help us find that answer. We may need a new attitude or a different way of looking at things (Matthew 5:8, Romans 2:1-5, 1 John 4:7-8), or we may need to make amends with someone (Matthew 6:14-15).

God Speaks to Us Through the Bible

God spoke directly to Abraham, Jacob, Moses, Isaiah, Jesus and a few other people in the Bible. We all wish God would answer our prayers immediately and personally, but most of us will never hear God's voice coming down from heaven. God does, however, speak to us through the Bible (2 Timothy 3:16-17). It is our main source of knowledge about God and His will for our lives. We have the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:1-17) as a basis for everyday living. We have Jesus' Great Commandments, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind" and "Love your neighbor as yourself" (Matthew 22:37-40, Mark 12:30-31, Luke 10:27, John 13:34-35), as principles to guide every decision we make. We have Jesus' Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7, Luke 6:20-49) to help us apply those principles to everyday life. To give us courage, strength and hope, we have Jesus' assurance of eternal life for those who are faithful and obedient (Matthew 25:31-46, Luke 10:25-28, 12:4-7, John 3:16-21, 6:27, 10:27-28).

Not All Our Thoughts Are From God

Many thoughts come into our minds every day, especially when we are praying. We also get ideas from our dreams. Are these thoughts and ideas from God, or are they just from our own minds, or are they evil thoughts from Satan (John 13:2, 2 Corinthians 11:3, 13-15, 1 Thessalonians 3:5, 1 Peter 5:8)? God might be urging us to take some particular course of action, but how are we to know? Here are some ways to judge our thoughts and ideas:

• Listen to your conscience (Acts 24:16, 1 Timothy 1:5-7, 18-19, 4:1-2, Hebrews 10:22, 13:18, 1 John 3:18-20). Do you feel any doubts about the choice you want to make?
• Are your motives pure? Are you sure you are not seeking revenge (Matthew 5:38-48), unfair advantage over someone (1 Timothy 6:3-5, 10), or some other unworthy goal?
• Is the choice consistent with Bible teachings? Will it interfere with love for God and Christian love for other people? (Matthew 22:34-40.) Is it consistent with the Ten Commandments? (Exodus 20:1-17.)
• Does the choice allow you to use the wealth, talents and abilities God has given you in a moral, godly and useful way (Matthew 25:14-30, Romans 12:6-8, 1 Timothy 6:17-19, 1 Peter 4:10)?
• Ask the opinion of trusted relatives, friends, ministers, priests, etc.
• Consider other choices you could make. Are they better or worse?
• Would you feel proud or ashamed if your actions were published on the front page of the newspaper (John 3:19-21)?

If we have the right attitude and sincerely seek to do God's will, the Holy Spirit will guide us (John 14:15-17, 16:13, 1 Corinthians 2:12-13, Galatians 5:22-26, Colossians 3:16).

Amen

"Amen" comes from a Hebrew word meaning truly, faithfully or so be it. Following examples in the Bible, it is traditional to end prayers with an "Amen." (Deuteronomy 27:15-26, Nehemiah 5:13, 1 Chronicles 16:36, Romans 11:36, 1 Peter 5:11)

Does God Hear the Prayers of Sinners or Unsaved Persons?

Several similar Old Testament verses are sometimes interpreted to mean that God does not listen to prayers from sinners or the unsaved:

Rather, your iniquities have been barriers between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear. (NRSV, Isaiah 59:2)

In context (Isaiah 59:1-8), God heard the prayers of the Israelites (verse 1). However, Isaiah was warning the Israelites that their prayers would not be answered because of their persistent sin and refusal to repent. 
This verse in John is also cited:

We know that God does not listen to sinners, but he does listen to one who worships him and obeys his will. (NRSV, John 9:31)

This was actually a comment from a man that Jesus had healed, so it reflects his own understanding rather than a Bible teaching.
We are all sinners in our own ways (Romans 3:23, 1 John 1:8), so these verses cannot be interpreted to mean that God will not listen to the prayers of any sinner. The overall Bible teaching is that God will accept the prayers of anyone who prays sincerely for forgiveness (Luke 18:10-14). We are also cautioned not to make judgments about who is a sinner (Matthew 7:1-5, Romans 2:1-6, Romans 14:10-11, James 4:11-12). Only God can make that judgment.

Forms of Prayer

Most people simply speak from the heart when praying. But there are "standard" prayers that are often used in public worship. The table below lists some of the popular and well-known prayers often recited in public. We can also use these prayers as inspiration for our own private prayers.