38 Bible Verses about Prayer, Advice For Effective

But your wrongs have separated you from your God. Your sins have made him hide his face so that he does not even hear you.

If I had thought about doing anything sinful, Jehovah would not have listened to me.

This is what Jehovah says about these people: They love to wander. They do not keep their feet where they belong. Therefore Jehovah is not happy with them. He will remember their crimes and punish their sins. Jehovah said to me: Do not pray for the good of these people. Even if they go without food, I will not listen to their cries for help. Even if they sacrifice burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not be pleased with them. But I will destroy these people with wars, famines, and plagues.

For we have done wrong. We have rebelled against your law. We have not received your forgiveness. You blocked our approach to you with anger. You have slain us without compassion. You covered yourself with a cloud, so that prayer may not pass through.

They will cry to Jehovah but he will not answer them. In fact, he will hide his face from them at that time because they have done evil things.

I cried, and they would not listen. Now they will cry, and I will not listen,' said Jehovah of Hosts!

I told you, but you would not listen. You disobeyed Jehovah's command and proudly invaded the mountainous region. The Amorites who lived there came out and attacked you. They chased you like a swarm of bees. They defeated you! They drove you back from Seir all the way to Hormah. You returned and cried to Jehovah. Jehovah, however, did not listen to you. He turned a deaf ear to you!

You will ask for my help, but I will not listen. You will search, but you will not find me. You have no use for knowledge and you refuse to respect Jehovah. You rejected my advice and paid no attention when I warned you.read more.
Now you will get what you deserve for what you have done. Your own advice will make you sick.

You ask and do not receive because you ask wrongly (with bad motives) that you may spend it on your pleasures.

When you spread out your hands in prayer, I will hide my eyes from you. Even though you offer many prayers, I will not listen because your hands are full of blood. Wash yourselves! Become clean! Get your evil deeds out of my sight. Stop doing evil. Learn to do good (well) (right). Seek justice. Correct oppressors. Defend orphans. Plead the case of widows.

Whoever shuts his ears to the cry of the poor, he also will cry, but will not be heard.

Cry aloud! Do not hold back! Raise your voice like a ram's horn. Tell my people about their rebellion and the descendants of Jacob about their sins. They seek me day by day. They delight to know my ways like a nation that has done righteousness and has not forsaken the ordinance of their God. They ask me for justice and delight. They are pleased that God is near. Why have we fasted and you do not see? Why have we humbled ourselves and you do not notice? Behold, on the day of your fast you find desire, and mistreat all your workers.'read more.
You fast for contention and strife and to strike with a wicked fist. You do not fast today to make your voice heard on high. Is it a fast like this which I choose, a day for a man to humble himself? Is it for bowing one's head like a reed (rush) and for spreading out sackcloth and ashes as a bed? Will you call this a fast, even an acceptable day to Jehovah? Is this not the fast I choose to loosen the bonds of wickedness, to undo the bands of the yoke, and to let the oppressed go free and break every yoke? Is it not to divide your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into the house? When you see the naked, should you cover him and not hide yourself from your own flesh?

However he must ask in faith, not doubting: for he who doubts is like a surging wave of the sea driven by the wind and tossed. Do not let that man think that he will receive anything from God.

He then spoke this illustration to some who trusted in themselves. They were very self-righteous. They looked down on others: Two men went to the temple to pray. One was a Pharisee, and the other was a tax collector. The Pharisee stood and prayed like this: God, I thank you, that I am not like the rest of men, extortionists, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector.read more.
I fast twice per week. I give tithes of all that I get. But the tax collector stood far away and would not lift up so much as his eyes to heaven. He beat his breast, saying: God, be merciful to me a sinner. I tell you the tax collector and not the Pharisee was right with God when he went home. He who exalts himself will be humbled! He who humbles himself will be exalted!

David went into the tent he set up for the ark. Then he sat there and prayed: Jehovah All-Powerful, my family and I do not deserve what you have already done for us.

However, if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves, pray, search for me, and turn from their evil ways, I will hear their prayer from heaven, forgive their sins, and heal their country.

You do not desire sacrifice. Otherwise, I would offer one to you. You are not pleased with burnt offerings. The sacrifice pleasing to God is a broken spirit. O God, you do not despise a broken and sorrowful (contrite) heart.

The High and Lofty One who inhabits eternity, whose name is holy, says: 'I dwell in the high and holy and also with him who has a contrite and humble spirit. I revive the spirit of the humble, and the heart of the contrite ones.'

The centurion replied to Jesus: Lord, I am not worthy that you come under my roof. Say the word and my servant will be healed.

Jesus went with them. As he approached the house, the centurion sent friends to him saying, Lord do not trouble yourself. I am not worthy that you should come under my roof.

Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us we have confidence toward God. Whatever we ask we receive from Him because we obey His commandments and do the things that are pleasing in His sight.

Samuel said: What is more pleasing to Jehovah, burnt offerings and sacrifices or your obedience to his voice? Obeying is better than sacrifice. To pay attention is better than the fat of rams.

For I did not speak to your fathers, or command them in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, concerning burnt offerings and sacrifices. I gave them this command: 'Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and you will be my people. You will walk in all the way that I command you that it may be well with you.'

Jehovah is far from the wicked. He hears the prayer of the righteous.

He said to him: Because you have asked for the wisdom to rule justly, instead of long life for yourself or riches or the death of your enemies, I will do what you have asked. I will give you more wisdom and understanding than anyone has ever had. There has never been nor will ever be anyone like you.

Jehovah's eyes watch over righteous people. His ears hear their cry for help.

When you look for me, you will find me. When you wholeheartedly seek me,

From there you will seek Jehovah your God with all your heart and with all your being. And you will find him!

You my son Solomon, learn to know your father's God. Serve Jehovah wholeheartedly and willingly because he searches every heart and understands every thought we have. If you dedicate your life to serving him, he will accept you. On the other hand if you abandon him, he will reject you from then on.

Jesus answered: If you have faith and do not doubt, I make this promise to you: You will be able to do what was done to this fig tree. When you say to this mountain, be moved into the sea, it will be done. You will receive the things you ask for in prayer when you have faith.

Jesus answered: Have faith in God. Truly I say faithful ones shall say to this mountain, be cast into the sea and it will happen. There must be no doubt in his heart and he must believe that what he says will come to pass. I tell you, believe that you receive what you pray for and you shall have it.

Ask and it will be given you. Seek and you will find. Knock and it will be opened for you. Everyone who asks receives. Everyone who seeks finds, and everyone who knocks will have it opened. Who among you, who would give his son a stone when he asks him for bread?read more.
Who will give him a serpent when he asks for a fish? Even though you are a sinner, you know how to give good gifts to your children. Think how much more your Father in heaven gives good things to those who ask him!

I say to you: Ask and it will be given you. Seek and you will find. Knock and it will be opened to you. Every one who asks receives. Everyone who seeks will find. It will be opened to everyone who knocks. What father would give his son a stone when he asked for a loaf? What father would give a serpent when his son asked for a fish?read more.
If he asked for an egg would he give a scorpion? If you who are evil know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him?

When he entered Capernaum, a centurion (captain of one hundred men) approached him. He said: Lord, my servant is lying paralyzed at home and terribly tormented. Jesus said to him: I will come and heal him.read more.
The centurion replied to Jesus: Lord, I am not worthy that you come under my roof. Say the word and my servant will be healed. I also am a man having authority and commanding soldiers. I say to this one, 'Go,' and he goes; and to another, 'Come,' and he comes; and to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it. When Jesus heard it, he was amazed, and said to the crowd: I tell you, I have not found such great faith in Israel. I tell you, many will come from the east and the west, to sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven: but the sons of the kingdom will be cast forth into the outer darkness: there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Jesus said to the centurion: Go. Just as you believe, so it will be done to you. The servant was healed in that hour.

After he taught the people he went to Capernaum. A centurion's servant, who was highly regarded by him, was sick and at the point of death. When he heard about him he contacted Jesus through the Jewish elders. He asked him to come and save his servant.read more.
They came to Jesus and earnestly pleaded with him saying: He is worthy and you should do this for him. He loves our nation and he also built our synagogue for us. Jesus went with them. As he approached the house, the centurion sent friends to him saying, Lord do not trouble yourself. I am not worthy that you should come under my roof. I am also not worthy to come to you. Just say the word, and my servant will be healed. I also am a man with much authority. I am in charge of soldiers and say to this one go and he goes and to another I say come and he comes. I tell my servant to do this and he does it. Jesus heard this and marveled at him. He turned to the crowd and said, I tell you I find no greater faith in Israel. When the messengers returned to the house they found the servant in good health.

Jesus went away from there into the country of Tyre and Sidon. A woman of Canaan came crying and saying: Have pity on me, O Lord, Son of David; my daughter is greatly troubled with an unclean spirit. He did not answer her. His disciples said to him: Send her away; she keeps shouting at us.read more.
He answered: I was sent only to the wandering sheep of the house of Israel. She bowed down before him and asked for help. He said: It is not right to take the children's bread and give it to the dogs. She said: Yes, Lord; but even the dogs take the scraps from under their masters' table. O woman, Jesus replied, your faith is great! Let your desire be done. And her daughter was made well from that hour.

Jesus went to the territory of Tyre and Sidon. He did not want anyone to know that he was staying in a house there. However it could not be kept a secret. A woman whose little daughter had an evil spirit heard about Jesus. She went to him and bowed down. The woman was a Greek Syrophoenician by race. She wanted him to drive out the demon out of her daughter.read more.
He said to her: Let the children be fed first. It is not proper to take the children's bread and cast it to the dogs. She answered: Yes Lord, even the dogs under the table eat from the children's crumbs. Then he replied: Thanks to your answer you may leave for the demon has gone out of your daughter. She went to her house and found the child on the bed with the demon gone.

Truly I tell you, he who exerts active faith in me will do the works that I do. In fact he will do greater works than these. I go to the Father. Whatever you ask in my name, I will do. That way the Father may be glorified because of the Son. If you ask anything in my name, I will do it.