bible verses about prayer

Bible Verses About Prayer: 15 Scriptures

Bible verses about prayer: 15 Scriptures on secret communion, asking in faith, and a Father who sees in secret—with plain notes and links for daily practice.

Illustrated portrait of Christopher McAllister

By Christopher McAllister

Founder of theBibleand.Love

Published September 28, 2026Updated October 26, 20265 min readMatthew 6:6 (NIV)

A person sits quietly on a sandstone overlook beneath an olive tree, looking toward a distant village.

"But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you."

— Matthew 6:6 (NIV)

People who search bible verses about prayer want Scripture for real communion — not performance, asking that trusts a Father who sees in secret, and a life that keeps talking with God. This page is a numbered list of fifteen passages with the NIV text and a short note on each. The wider essay sits under Love and prayer. Related lists: Bible verses about trust, Bible verses about God's love, Bible verses about mercy, and Bible verses about love. Prayer here is petition and communion — distinct from the faith-resting focus in Bible verses about trust. For Christ and the Spirit interceding, and for praying for others, see Bible verses about intercession. For pondering God's word day and night, see Bible verses about meditation. When words run out, the Spirit helps you pray; see Bible verses about the Holy Spirit. For what the amen at the end of a prayer means, see Bible verses about amen. Jesus said to forgive while you stand praying (Mark 11:25).

Word study (lead verse). In Matthew 6:6 Jesus assumes you will proseuchomai — pray / offer prayers — from Greek προσεύχομαι (Strong's G4336): directed speech toward God, done here in secret rather than for show. Old Testament near-kin is Hebrew פָּלַל palal (Strong's H6419) — to intervene / intercede / pray. See also Bible Hub G4336.

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Matthew 6:5-8 treats prayer as the Christian's breath: "You may as soon find a living man that does not breathe, as a living Christian that does not pray. If prayerless, then graceless… Yet there is not a secret, sudden breathing after God, but he observes it" (Bible Hub commentaries on Matthew 6:6; fuller MHC on the chapter at Blue Letter Bible, Matthew Henry on Matthew 6 and Bible Hub MHC Matthew 6).

15 Bible verses about prayer

  1. Matthew 6:6. "But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you." Prayer is first secret communion, not a public show.

  2. 1 Thessalonians 5:17. "pray continually." Prayer is a habit of the day, not only a crisis button.

  3. Philippians 4:6. "Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." Anxiety is answered by asking — with thanks. See Bible verses about trust.

  4. Matthew 6:9-13. "This, then, is how you should pray: 'Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name…'" Jesus gives a pattern, not empty chatter — Father, kingdom, daily bread, forgiveness, deliverance.

  5. Jeremiah 29:12. "Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you." God invites calling — and promises listening.

  6. James 5:16. "…The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective." Prayer is not weak wishing; it is effective before God.

  7. 1 John 5:14. "This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us." Confidence in prayer rests on God's will, not our volume.

  8. Psalm 145:18. "The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth." Nearness meets honest calling.

  9. Matthew 7:7. "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you." Ask, seek, knock — persistence with a Father.

  10. Romans 8:26. "In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans." When words fail, the Spirit still prays.

  11. Colossians 4:2. "Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful." Devotion + watchfulness + thanks keep prayer alive.

  12. Luke 18:1. "Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up." Persistence is part of prayer's design.

  13. Psalm 55:17. "Evening, morning and noon I cry out in distress, and he hears my voice." Scheduled crying-out is still real prayer.

  14. Hebrews 4:16. "Let us then approach God's throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need." Prayer approaches a throne of grace. See Bible verses about mercy.

  15. John 15:7. "If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you." Asking that abides in Christ is love's prayer. See Love and prayer and Bible verses about God's love.

How to use these verses

Pick one verse for a dry season, an anxious night, or a habit of praying only when people are watching — not fifteen. Read it out loud. If you need the secret-room line, start with Matthew 6:6. If you need the anxiety-to-ask line, start with Philippians 4:6. If you need the essay that frames prayer inside love, read Love and prayer. For trust as a related but different search, see Bible verses about trust. For voluntary abstinence alongside prayer, see Bible verses about fasting. For Queen Esther's three-day fast and petition for her people, open Bible verses about Esther. For Aaron the high priest whose garments were made for dignity and whose staff budded, open Bible verses about Aaron. For Hannah who wept at Shiloh, vowed her son, and gave Samuel to the Lord, open Bible verses about Hannah. For a daily verse, open Bible verse of the day.

Questions people ask

What is a good Bible verse about prayer?

Matthew 6:6 (pray in secret to your Father), Philippians 4:6 (present your requests to God), and 1 Thessalonians 5:17 (pray continually) are clear starting places.

What does the Bible say about how to pray?

Jesus teaches secret prayer to the Father (Matthew 6:6), a model prayer (Matthew 6:9-13), and persistence (Luke 18:1; Matthew 7:7). See Love and prayer.

How is prayer different from trust?

Trust is faith resting in God; prayer is petition and communion with God. They belong together — link Bible verses about trust.

What Bible verse helps when I do not know what to say?

Romans 8:26 and Hebrews 4:16. The Spirit helps in weakness, and the throne of grace stays open.

Where can I read more about love and prayer?

Start with Love and prayer, then Bible verses about God's love and Bible verse of the day. Watch and pray against the pull in Bible verses about temptation. For earnest pursuit of God himself, not only asking, see Bible verses about seeking God.

Sources

A man sits quietly on a stone overlook beneath an olive tree.

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