How do you pray? Prayers that are rooted in Scripture are guaranteed to be aligned with the heart of God. Here is a list of 15 powerful prayers adapted from the Bible that you can use word-for-word or to spur on your own prayers:
Romans 5:1-11
Father God, we thank you that your amazing unfathomable love has been poured out for us at the cross and poured into us by the Holy Spirit. We want to taste and experience more of the depth and breadth and length and height of your amazing love. Help us to walk by faith. Help us to endure in suffering. Help us to own our need of you. Help us to fully embrace your Son, Jesus Christ, our Redeemer. So, pour out your love into our hearts, in increasing measure by the power of your Holy Spirit, through Jesus Christ our Lord. It is in his name that we pray, Amen.
2 Corinthians 5:1-5
Father God, we praise you for the wonderful future that you have prepared for us through the death and resurrection of you Son, Jesus Christ. We eagerly await the day when we will enter into your presence for all eternity with holy bodies untainted by sin. Please help us to not lose heart when we face the many pressures, anxieties, and troubles of life in this fallen world. Let us take great courage in the knowledge that you’ve given us the Holy Spirit to prepare our souls for our kingdom dwelling with you. Thank you for letting Jesus live in us. It is in his name that we pray, Amen.
2 Corinthians 5:6-10
Father God, we praise you for using us to bring joy to your Son, Jesus Christ. In the midst of all the struggles, pressures, and discouragement we face while in our frail, failing bodies, please continue transforming us into servants who are always of good courage. Lead us by your Holy Spirit to find rest in the grand promises that you’ve revealed to us in your Word. We confess that we are weak and that we need your help. Prepare us for the day when you will judge an account of all our works and offenses. Though we do not deserve your grace, we cannot even begin to express our gratitude for nailing our guilt and shame upon the cross through your crucified Son. Lord, we earnestly long to experience the moment when you will declare to us, “Well done good and faithful servant, enter into the joy of your master.” Help us this week as we continue our walk of faith looking forward to the day when our faith will become sight. It is in the name of Jesus that we pray, Amen.
2 Corinthians 5:11-13
We praise you God for your infinite wisdom. We know so little, and yet we are so grateful to serve the one who knows all things. We confess that our hearts have been shattered by our sinful desires, and that we have tried to hide our shame from you. Please forgive us for the ways we’ve slandered other people in our lives. Our hearts are broken and we cannot save ourselves. We thank you for knowing our own hearts better than we do. We thank you for saving us through your Son, Jesus Christ. We thank you for bringing our dead hearts to life through the power of the Holy Spirit. Please guard our hearts from a critical spirit, and help us to not lose heart when we feel pressures leading us into doubt. Renew our minds and give us confidence with the truth found in the words of the Bible. It is in the name of Jesus Christ that I pray, Amen.
2 Corinthians 5:14-15
Father God, we praise you for the confidence you give our hearts through the love of your Son. We look forward to the day when we will not pass from this world into condemnation, but instead will enter into your presence of everlasting celebration. Father, we confess that we are tired of living for ourselves. We thank you for sending Jesus to die in our place to deliver us from the misery of a self-centered life. No matter what struggles, temptations, or tragedies we face this week, please help us not to lose heart. Through the Holy Spirit, guard us from ever doubting your great love for us. Help us to remember the good news that you have made us your own and that you have forgiven our sins. Lead us to live our lives for Christ’s sake at our workplaces, with our friends and families, and wherever else we may go this week. We pray all this in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, Amen.
2 Corinthians 5:16-17
Father God, we praise you for making us new creations in Christ! We are grateful for the good news that you do not regard us by our flesh. We are thankful that unlike us, you know and judge us rightly by our hearts. We are sorry for the ways that we have let our shallow, worldly judgments of others become barriers to our proclamation of your gospel. Thank you for overcoming our weakness and partiality to bring life to our hearts through the Holy Spirit. Please help us to see people more like you do so that we would grow in our boldness to share the gospel with others. We pray all this in Jesus’ name, Amen.
2 Corinthians 5:18-20
Father God we thank you for reconciling us through Jesus Christ, and we praise you for choosing to make redeemed sinners like us your gospel ambassadors to this broken world. Please continue to equip us and use us in your redemptive mission as you graciously bring peace to sinners. Sanctify us for your glory as we confess, repent of, and remember the trespasses that we’ve committed against you. Keep us all humble as we seek reconciliation with other people we’ve wronged. Protect us with the Holy Spirit from our spirit of pride whenever we serve our families, our church, our coworkers, or strangers in need. Though we don’t deserve your forgiveness, we praise you for the unfathomable love and grace that you demonstrate at the cross. Please nourish our hearts daily this week with the words of the Bible and give us courage to proclaim your gospel boldly to all. We pray all this in the name of Jesus and for his sake. Amen.
2 Corinthians 5:21
Father God we praise you for your perfect righteousness. There is no fairer nor more merciful a judge than you, and we confess that we do not deserve your forgiveness for the sins we’ve committed. Though we have wronged you, betrayed you, and hated you in so many ways, we thank you for the unbelievable gift of freedom from the power of sin in our lives. Help us to always remember the cost of our freedom and to never forget how Jesus has dealt with our sins at the cross. Help us to also grow in our awareness of the sins that taint our lives so that we would learn to hate our sins like you do. Shine the light of your Holy Spirit into the dark places of our hearts so that we might better know and repent of our sins for your glory. Thank you so much for reconciling us through the gospel to make us your righteous servants. Use us to proclaim your good news boldly to others this week. We pray all this in the name of Jesus and for his sake, Amen.
Luke 2:8-20
Father God, we bow before you, and recognize our great need of a Savior. Today we want to lift our hearts and give thanks for Your Son, our Lord, Jesus Christ. We lift our hearts in praise to our Savior, and as your loved children and your redeemed servants, we lay our lives before you in worship. Forgive us our sins, guide us by your Spirit into repentance, and make us bold proclaimers of your Word. We pray all this in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.
Luke 2:22-35
Father God we praise you for the ultimate gift of love in your Son. What a marvelous light of hope you have given to our dark world. We thank you for fulfilling your law perfectly in Jesus Christ when not one of us could. We confess that we cannot save ourselves, and we are grateful for the good news of salvation in Christ alone. Please embolden us with the Holy Spirit like Elizabeth, Simeon, and the shepherds to bear witness to Jesus. It is in his name and for his sake that we pray, Amen.
Genesis 37:1-11
God we thank you for the love and favor you extend to us who believe in Jesus Christ. We confess that we do not deserve your overwhelming grace towards sinners like us. We praise you though for choosing to make us new creations through our union in Christ’s death and resurrection. Please turn us from evil thoughts and worldly distractions diverting our attention from you. Allow the Holy Spirit to open up our eyes to clearly see your revelation in the Bible every day. Help us to learn from the examples of men and women that you have given us in your Word so that we might live more holy lives for your glory. Use your Church here and around the globe to shine brightly for our dark world. We pray all this in the name of Jesus Christ and for his sake, Amen.
Genesis 37:12-36
God we praise you for your compassionate heart. Give us the relentlessness of the good shepherd who goes after wandering sheep and never gives up. Protect us by your Holy Spirit from being easily discouraged and grant us the spiritual strength to endure the hardships we face. Please deliver us from a sour compulsive nature to envy others and resist your will. Save us from a life of pretense and guard us from using religion as a mask to cover up our resistance to the claims of Jesus Christ on our lives. Father God, please help us during the seasons of grief and loss that we may endure to know that your Son lives, and that in him sorrow can never have the final word. We pray all this in the name of Jesus and for his sake, Amen.
Genesis 39:1-6
Father God we are grateful for all that you’ve lavishly blessed us with through our union with Jesus Christ. We praise you for sealing us as your adopted children and making us rich inheritors of your everlasting kingdom. We thank you for comforting us in our moments of weakness and tribulation with the assured knowledge that like Christ you will raise us to life after death. We glorify you for the success that you have given to the Church as the Holy Spirit leads us to proclaim the good news to every tribe, every tongue, and every nation. Lord, we confess that we have often wasted and squandered your blessings. Please forgive us and help us to invest every blessing we have for your kingdom so that you might use us as blessings to others. If it be your will, we ask that you help us to win the favor of our family, friends, and co-workers by unashamedly living out our lives for the gospel and the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. We pray all this in his name and for his sake, Amen.
Genesis 39:6-12
Father God we praise you for your absolute goodness, perfection, and holiness. We thank you for your Son, Jesus Christ, who was tempted in every way as we are and yet did not sin. We confess that in our weakness, we have shamefully enjoyed sins of the mind and body that we ought to have resisted. Please forgive us for our unholy failures. Teach us to truly mourn our offenses against you and lead us by the Holy Spirit into faithful repentance. We are grateful for the overwhelming grace that we continue to experience each day because of Jesus’ death and resurrection. Thank you for giving us the power of the Holy Spirit to face future temptations. Continue to sanctify us in our frail bodies as we eagerly await the return of your glorified Son. In a world full of darkness, make us your holy lights and gospel witnesses this week. It is the name of Jesus Christ and for his sake that we pray, Amen.
Genesis 39:13-23
Lord, we praise you for your righteousness and perfect judgments, for you are an incorruptible judge far greater than any corruptible government or sinful man. You are infinitely wise, truly knowing the thoughts, intentions, and hearts of every being that you have ever made. We thank you promising to one day vindicate every lie, every betrayal, and every injustice that your Church endures. Please deliver us from a bitter spirit that so easily becomes resentment and hate when we feel wronged by others. Help us to see your divine purpose and trust in your goodness even in our own suffering and loss. Forgive us for the times when we suppress the truth of your promises and turn to go our own way. By your Holy Spirit, lead us into repentance, guard us from temptation, and sanctify us for your kingdom work among our family, friends, and co-workers this week. Teach us more of the love of Christ that goes on loving even when it is slighted. It is the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus that we pray, Amen.
Genesis 41:1-43
Father God, we praise you for the Holy Spirit who grants us wisdom, fills us with life, guards our hearts, and illuminates our mind to comprehend the good news of Jesus Christ. Let us settle for nothing less than the pure unadulterated truth that you have revealed to us in your Holy Word. For we confess that apart from you we can do nothing. So please forgive us for the ways in which we have disobeyed your Word to put our own selfish desires before the needs of others. By the Holy Spirit we ask that you lead us into repentance and a life that glorifies you. Help us to resist the allure of this world’s deceitful philosophies promising hollow pleasures that ultimately lead to death and destruction. Put a deep desire in our hearts to know the wisdom of the Bible and use it to transform and renew our mind. Use each one of us to exemplify your holiness and love to this world as we aspire to follow Jesus and put his commands into action. Make us your gospel lights this week to those wandering in darkness among our families, friends, neighbors, and co-workers. Embolden us as well as our brothers and sisters across the world to unashamedly proclaim our faith in Jesus Christ. Use our testimonies for your glory to help save souls. All this we pray in the name of Jesus, Amen.
Isaiah 53:6
God we praise you for your unfathomable grace. Though we deserved punishment for our sins, you were lavishly merciful to the world. In love and justice you gathered our iniquities, and you laid them upon your Son so that we might be forgiven. Enable us now by your Holy Spirit to turn from our own way in order to follow the way of our Savior, Jesus Christ. Guard us from conceited, self-righteous acts and from apathetic obedience to your commands. For those of us struggling with a spirit of rebellion, resistance, resentment, or doubt, we pray that you would grant them a spirit of peace. Thank you God for sharing with us your overwhelming victory over death. In the name of Jesus Christ and for his sake we pray, Amen.
Other resources on biblical prayer:
- Article: 25 Powerful Prayers from the Bible by Kevin Halloran
- Free Course: Pray the Bible by Kevin Halloran
- Sermon: Cultivating the Desire to Pray by Pastor Colin Smith