If you ever feel at a loss for what to pray, there\u2019s no better guidebook for petitions to our Heavenly Father than the very book He wrote\u2014the Bible. Almost every book in there contains a plea or request, and page after page points to another reason we need a Savior. So, when you feel like you just don\u2019t have words, turn first to the Word.<\/p>\n
Although we could list hundreds of prayers, we plucked out five of our favorites to show just how filled to the brim the Bible is with ways to call upon our great God.<\/p>\n
When the author of Chronicles dutifully provides us with a list of Judah\u2019s descendants, he can\u2019t help but stop himself. Right in the midst of all these names, he comes to Jabez, a man he wants us to notice, a man of true honor. If you\u2019ve ever felt like you\u2019ve caused pain or if you\u2019ve ever wanted to believe that God can do more than you can ask or imagine, this prayer is for you:<\/p>\n
\u201cJabez cried out to the God of Israel, \u2018Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain.\u2019 And God granted his request.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Lord\u2019s Prayer (Matthew 6:9\u201313)<\/p>\n
This prayer is the true classic. Most of us have said this prayer and could likely recite it right now. But there\u2019s much more to this model that Jesus gave us than rote recitation. This is a prayer with real power: God\u2019s kingdom coming,<\/p>\n
\u201cOur Father in heaven,
\nhallowed be your name.
\nYour kingdom come,
\nyour will be done,<\/p>\n
on earth as it is in heaven.
\nGive us this day our daily bread,
\nand forgive us our debts,<\/p>\n
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
\nAnd lead us not into temptation,
\nbut deliver us from evil.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jonah\u2019s Prayer for Salvation (Jonah 2:2\u20139)<\/p>\n
We may never be swallowed by a great fish, but we can still experience the shame and regret that Jonah felt after he ran from God. The prophet\u2019s plea to the Father provides a poignant scaffolding for our own prayers of repentance. And remember that God heard and answered this humble, honest prayer:<\/p>\n
\u201cIn my distress I called to the Lord,
\nand he answered me.
\nFrom deep in the realm of the dead I called for help,
\nand you listened to my cry.<\/p>\n
You hurled me into the depths,
\ninto the very heart of the seas,
\nand the currents swirled about me;<\/p>\n
all your waves and breakers
\nswept over me.<\/p>\n
I said, \u2018I have been banished
\nfrom your sight;
\nyet I will look again
\ntoward your holy temple.\u2019<\/p>\n
The engulfing waters threatened me,
\nthe deep surrounded me;
\nseaweed was wrapped around my head.<\/p>\n
To the roots of the mountains I sank down;
\nthe earth beneath barred me in forever.
\nBut you, Lord my God,
\nbrought my life up from the pit.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen my life was ebbing away,
\nI remembered you, Lord,
\nand my prayer rose to you,
\nto your holy temple.<\/p>\n
\u201cThose who cling to worthless idols
\nturn away from God\u2019s love for them.<\/p>\n
But I, with shouts of grateful praise,
\nwill sacrifice to you.
\nWhat I have vowed I will make good.
\nI will say, \u2018Salvation comes from the Lord.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
David\u2019s Prayer for Deliverance (Psalm 3)<\/p>\n
This one was a tough choice because the Psalms are stuffed full of cries and petitions. If you ever want a primer for prayer, you can\u2019t go wrong with this wisdom book. But we chose Psalm 3 because it provides a concise portrait of crying out to God in the midst of great stress. David\u2019s words are no less relevant to our modern workplace and lifestyle as they were to his battles:<\/p>\n
Lord, how many are my foes!
\nHow many rise up against me!<\/p>\n
Many are saying of me,
\n\u201cGod will not deliver him.\u201d<\/p>\n
But you, Lord, are a shield around me,
\nmy glory, the One who lifts my head high.<\/p>\n
I call out to the Lord,
\nand he answers me from his holy mountain.<\/p>\n
I lie down and sleep;
\nI wake again, because the Lord sustains me.<\/p>\n
I will not fear though tens of thousands
\nassail me on every side.<\/p>\n
Arise, Lord!
\nDeliver me, my God!
\nStrike all my enemies on the jaw;
\nbreak the teeth of the wicked.<\/p>\n
From the Lord comes deliverance.
\nMay your blessing be on your people.<\/p>\n
Hannah\u2019s Prayer of Praise (1 Samuel 2:1\u201310)<\/p>\n
When Hannah received the child she begged God for, her first instinct is to praise the One who provided. She wants to thank Him for His greatness and His deliverance. Too often we pray before receiving, but then forget to pray after God answers. Let this prayer guide you in thanks:<\/p>\n
\u201cMy heart exults in the Lord;
\nmy horn is exalted in the Lord.
\nMy mouth derides my enemies,
\nbecause I rejoice in your salvation.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is none holy like the Lord:
\nfor there is none besides you;
\nthere is no rock like our God.
\nTalk no more so very proudly,<\/p>\n
let not arrogance come from your mouth;
\nfor the Lord is a God of knowledge,
\nand by him actions are weighed.
\nThe bows of the mighty are broken,<\/p>\n
but the feeble bind on strength.
\nThose who were full have hired themselves out for bread,
\nbut those who were hungry have ceased to hunger.
\nThe barren has borne seven,<\/p>\n
but she who has many children is forlorn.
\nThe Lord kills and brings to life;
\nhe brings down to Sheol and raises up.
\nThe Lord makes poor and makes rich;<\/p>\n
he brings low and he exalts.
\nHe raises up the poor from the dust;
\nhe lifts the needy from the ash heap
\nto make them sit with princes<\/p>\n
and inherit a seat of honor.
\nFor the pillars of the earth are the Lord\u2019s,
\nand on them he has set the world.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe will guard the feet of his faithful ones,
\nbut the wicked shall be cut off in darkness,
\nfor not by might shall a man prevail.
\nThe adversaries of the Lord shall be broken to pieces;<\/p>\n
against them he will thunder in heaven.
\nThe Lord will judge the ends of the earth;
\nhe will give strength to his king
\nand exalt the horn of his anointed.\u201d<\/p>\n
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If you ever feel at a loss for what to pray, there\u2019s no better guidebook for petitions to our Heavenly Father than the very book He wrote\u2014the Bible. Almost every book in there contains a plea or request, and page after page points to another reason we need a Savior. So, when you feel like…<\/p>\n