Need Encouragement About Prayer? Let’s See What the Bible Says!
As I watched the women from the event pray, I knew that somewhere I had lost my passion. I needed encouragement about prayer. I longed to feel the presence of the Holy Spirit and the closeness of God again. It wasn’t Him who had distanced Himself. It was me. I needed the encouraging verses about prayer found in His Word.
I was thankful it was time to write this specific post. Maybe it was the reason I’d avoided it for so long. Writing pushed me into Bible research mode and just as It always does, the Word of God, which is filled with encouraging verses about prayer, reminded me of Truth. It renewed my dry spirit
Definition of encouragement (dictionary.com)
- inspire with courage, spirit, or confidence: His coach encouraged him throughout the marathon race to keep on running.
- stimulate by assistance, approval, etc.: One of the chief duties of a teacher is to encourage students.
- promote, advance, or foster: Poverty often encourages crime.
Do You Need Encouragement About Prayer, too?
Do you have a heart for prayer, but stumble in your confidence because you aren’t sure you are doing it “right”? First, let me reassure you – God loves His children coming to Him. Period. He loves to hear your heart and all the thoughts circling through your often-too-busy mind. You can’t pray “wrong”.
God loves to hear your heart and all the thoughts circling through your often-too-busy mind. You can't pray "wrong". Click To TweetHowever, there’s something powerful about praying with confidence. When we approach God’s throne with confidence, boldness emerges. And God tells us to come boldly to the throne.
So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most. -Hebrews 4:16 NLT
I imagine that is why you are here though. You want to pray confident and bold prayers. Confidence starts with a faith that is all-in. But knowledge plays a crucial role, as well. The more we know what our Bibles say, the more confidence we have in who God is, His promises for us, and how we are to live as Christians. Knowledge truly is power — holy power! Therefore, the more verses about prayer (but the more verses in general) we know, the deeper our faith can grow.
Let’s Start with Those Closest to Christ because even They Needed Encouragement About Prayer!
Imagine the 12 Disciples. They gave up everything to follow Jesus, spending day and night with Him. They lived alongside Him witnessing His miracles, watching His prayer life, and witnessing His relationship with His Father. The disciples literally lived out these beautiful verses about prayer in the Bible!
Next, take your imagination to the crowds of people drawn to Jesus. Listening and watching, they knew there was something different about Him. They, too, witnessed and experienced His healings and miracles. They gathered around Him longing for more. Often, they simply wanted to touch Him.
They chose Jesus and followed Him, yet all still wondered, “How do we pray?”
“Once Jesus was in a certain place praying. As he finished, one of his disciples came to him and said, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.” -Luke 11:1 NLT
Jesus gives the answer to the twelve disciples when they ask Him as written in the book of Luke. Then again, he answers the question in Matthew 6:9-13. But this time, the answer isn’t just for the disciples. It is to the crowds during the Sermon on the Mount, as well.
God knew you and I would wonder. And as always, He planned well in advance to give us all we need to walk in a relationship with Him. To grow deeper in our faith and to boldly approach the throne in prayer.
So, friend, don’t believe for a second that you are alone in needing encouragement about prayer!
Why Do We Pray Anyway?
Prayer:
- draws us closer to God and others as it builds healthy strong relationships.
- changes us giving us eyes to see the world differently.
- changes circumstances as we open the road for God’s transforming power.
- ultimately changes the world.
If we are living in the will of God, building healthy relationships with God and others, loving well, and accessing His transforming power, how can the world not be changed into a better place for all?
Let’s Look at Psalm 23
Psalm 23 is a passage in the Bible many of us may recognize. It is one we turn to in time of need and one that gives us comfort and hope. But today I want us to look at it in terms of how it serves as encouragement about prayer.
1 The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
3 he refreshes my soul.
He guides me along the right paths
for his name’s sake.
4 Even though I walk
through the darkest valley,[a]
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.
5 You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
6 Surely your goodness and love will follow me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord
forever. -Psalm 23 NIV
As we read these words, how can we not want to know our Shepherd?
How can we not want to know the One who makes us whole again? The One who steers us off worn and hard paths to roads of truth and righteousness? The One who is with us providing comfort, protection, guidance, and a way through our fears?
And then I ask …
If we long to know Him, how can we not talk to Him?
Talking, or communicating, is how we connect with others. It is no different with our Savior. If we long to know Him and be encouraged by Him, we must communicate with Him. And prayer is how we do that.
Praying is talking with God.
Praying allows us to get to know God. It is authentically revealing our thoughts and feelings even when they aren’t pretty or wrapped neatly with a bow.
Sometimes we question the why of prayer because we believe God already knows all that will come to pass. He does. He is all-knowing – omniscient. Yet our omniscient Father longs for us to connect with Him in prayer. Our prayers do matter, and they do change things. They change us. They change the world.
Strategies for a Confident and Bold Prayer Life
These strategies and verses about prayer will bring you encouragement about prayer so that you may add its richness and fullness to your life.
The Lord’s Prayer
Thousands of readers have come to my site for a post titled Why Is Praying the Lord’s Prayers a Powerful Way to Pray. That fact alone told me that many of us are longing to understand more about prayer and specifically these verses about prayer in the Bible. It’s because we feel the power in it, but we don’t understand it.
The Lord’s Prayer is how Jesus answered the question posed by the disciples. (The one I wrote about earlier in this post.)
“Jesus said, “This is how you should pray: “Father, may your name be kept holy. May your Kingdom come soon. Give us each day the food we need, and forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us. And don’t let us yield to temptation.” -Luke 11:2-4
We may think the Lord’s Prayer is simply a series of memorized words recited for the sake of tradition. But it’s not. It is so much more. It gives heart and soul to these words and provides an outline for our prayers even when we are not reciting this traditional prayer.
The Lord’s Prayer is broken down into five elements:
- Praising
- Yielding
- Requesting
- Confessing
- Protection
For more details regarding these five elements stop by this post about prayer!
These five elements give us an outline or prayer guide.
When we begin to pray, we start by praising God.
We acknowledge Him and all He is. We give Him all the honor and glory He is due. This action prepares our hearts and enables us to focus on God, His power, and His glory.
We follow the act of surrender with a time of request.
This is when we get to ask God for all the things we have in our hearts and our lives. We request for ourselves, our loved ones, and the world at large.
Then, there is a time of confession.
Confession is a key to prayer. It’s about authenticity with Christ. When we confess, we stop trying to keep secrets. We humble ourselves before God enough to admit where we’ve gone wrong and admit we need the grace that He alone can give. He alone can right our paths and redeem our sins.
Finally, there’s protection.
We ask that God protect us from the evil one. The one who takes us away from God’s plan for our lives.
If you want more information and encouragement about the Lord’s Prayer, I’ve created a free resource for you. It’s a deeper dive into what I just outlined above and gives you the opportunity to personalize the prayer and incorporate it into your daily prayer life. Just click below to get your copy.
I Want to Get This Free Prayer Resource Now!
The ACTS Prayer Model
Prayer models help us reach our prayer goals. They make us consistent, give us confidence, and instill boldness. They serve as a checklist approach to praying so we don’t forget the things we want to bring to God or run down rabbit trails we never wanted to travel.
One I’ve stuck to for many years is the ACTS Prayer Model. This model, together with praying Scripture (a post filled with encouraging verses about prayer!) will lead toward intentional effective prayer.
A – Adoration
Starting our prayers off with adoration for our Father prepares our hearts and minds by getting them in the right place. It focuses our thoughts on the awesomeness of our God. We get the opportunity to tell Him how amazing He is and acknowledge His mighty power and love. In doing so, we remind ourselves of His character and the very reasons why we can trust and have confidence in Him.
C – Confession
Confession takes humility. Conversations that are rooted in humility are productive. We cannot get to an authentic relationship unless we surrender our pride and trust God with our broken attempts at life. When we pour out the sin weighing us down, we find freedom. The burden is lifted. There is no point in hiding our sins from God because He already knows. But there is a tremendous gain in admitting and repenting our sins. It is where true transformation takes place.
T – Thanksgiving
Gratitude is powerful. Again, it prepares our hearts and minds to give and receive in fullness. It sets the atmosphere as a positive environment instead of seeping in the negativity the enemy loves for us to hold close. We remind ourselves of all our blessings – of all God has already done in our lives, which in and of itself, gives us hope. It reminds us of what He has already done and therefore can do again.
Originally, I struggled to understand the difference between adoration and thanksgiving. It is easiest to think of adoration as worshiping God for who He is, and thanksgiving is thanking Him for what He has done.
S – Supplication/Intercession
Now that we have praised Him, freed ourselves from the weight of sin, and thanked Him for all He has done, we can approach God confidently with our needs and the needs of others. With humble gratitude and surrender in place, our petitions are soaked in authenticity. There are no barriers such as bitterness, anger, or shame.
10 More Encouraging Verses About Prayer
These 10 encouraging verses about prayer are some to give you a start! If you are looking for more, a quick way to find them is to jump to a Bible APP or Bible Gateway to do a search!
Philippians 4:6-9 NLT
Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.
And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you.
James 4:7 ESV
Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
Psalm 145:18 NIV
The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.
John 16:13 ESV
When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.
Psalm 17:1, 6-8 NIV
“Hear me, Lord, my plea is just; listen to my cry. Hear my prayer— it does not rise from deceitful lips… I call on you, my God, for you will answer me; turn your ear to me and hear my prayer. Show me the wonders of your great love, you who save by your right hand those who take refuge in you from their foes. Keep me as the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings.”
Ephesians 6:18 NLT
“And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.”
Psalm 145:18 NIV
“The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.”
Romans 8:26 NIV
“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.”
James 5:16 NIV
“Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.”
Jeremiah 29:12-13 NIV
“Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”
Which of these verses about prayer is your favorite? Is there one you are ready to commit to memory?
I pray this information and these resources give you encouragement about prayer. I pray they help you connect deeper to the Father and inspire you to take the time each day to communicate with Him authentically.
To close, I am sending you with a prayer and some extra resources to help you answer any additional questions you may have about your Bible
An Encouraging Prayer: Lord, Help Me to Pray
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