38 Bible Verses about Prayer, Advice For Effective

But your iniquities have been separating Between you and your God, And your sins have hidden The Presence from you -- from hearing.

Iniquity, if I have seen in my heart, The Lord doth not hear.

Thus said Jehovah concerning this people: Well they have loved to wander, Their feet they have not restrained, And Jehovah hath not accepted them, Now doth He remember their iniquity, And inspect their sin. And Jehovah saith unto me: Thou dost not pray for this people for good, When they fast, I hearken not unto their cry, And when they cause to ascend burnt-offering and present, I accept them not, For by sword, and by famine, And by pestilence, I am consuming them.

We -- we have transgressed and rebelled, Thou -- Thou hast not forgiven. Thou hast covered Thyself with anger, And dost pursue us; Thou hast slain -- Thou hast not pitied. Thou hast covered Thyself with a cloud, So that prayer doth not pass through.

Then do they cry unto Jehovah, And He doth not answer them, And hideth His face from them at that time, As they have made evil their doings.

And it cometh to pass, as He called, And they have not hearkened, So do they call, and I do not hearken, Said Jehovah of Hosts.

'And I speak unto you, and ye have not hearkened, and provoke the mouth of Jehovah, and act proudly, and go up into the hill-country; and the Amorite who is dwelling in that hill-country cometh out to meet you, and they pursue you as the bees do, and smite you in Seir -- unto Hormah. 'And ye turn back and weep before Jehovah, and Jehovah hath not hearkened to your voice, nor hath he given ear unto you;

Then they call me, and I do not answer, They seek me earnestly, and find me not. Because that they have hated knowledge, And the fear of Jehovah have not chosen. They have not consented to my counsel, They have despised all my reproof,read more.
And they eat of the fruit of their way, And from their own counsels they are filled.

ye ask, and ye receive not, because evilly ye ask, that in your pleasures ye may spend it.

And in your spreading forth your hands, I hide mine eyes from you, Also when ye increase prayer, I do not hear, Your hands of blood have been full. Wash ye, make ye pure, Turn aside the evil of your doings, from before Mine eyes, Cease to do evil, learn to do good. Seek judgment, make happy the oppressed, Judge the fatherless, strive for the widow.

Whoso is shutting his ear from the cry of the poor, He also doth cry, and is not answered.

Call with the throat, restrain not, As a trumpet lift up thy voice, And declare to My people their transgression, And to the house of Jacob their sins; Seeing -- Me day by day they seek, And the knowledge of My ways they desire, As a nation that righteousness hath done, And the judgment of its God hath not forsaken, They ask of me judgments of righteousness, The drawing near of God they desire: 'Why have we fasted, and Thou hast not seen? We have afflicted our soul, and Thou knowest not.' Lo, in the day of your fast ye find pleasure, And all your labours ye exact.read more.
Lo, for strife and debate ye fast, And to smite with the fist of wickedness, Ye fast not as to -day, To sound in the high place your voice. Like this is the fast that I choose? The day of a man's afflicting his soul? To bow as a reed his head, And sackcloth and ashes spread out? This dost thou call a fast, And a desirable day -- to Jehovah? Is not this the fast that I chose -- To loose the bands of wickedness, To shake off the burdens of the yoke, And to send out the oppressed free, And every yoke ye draw off? Is it not to deal to the hungry thy bread, And the mourning poor bring home, That thou seest the naked and cover him, And from thine own flesh hide not thyself?

and let him ask in faith, nothing doubting, for he who is doubting hath been like a wave of the sea, driven by wind and tossed, for let not that man suppose that he shall receive anything from the Lord --

And he spake also unto certain who have been trusting in themselves that they were righteous, and have been despising the rest, this simile: 'Two men went up to the temple to pray, the one a Pharisee, and the other a tax-gatherer; the Pharisee having stood by himself, thus prayed: God, I thank Thee that I am not as the rest of men, rapacious, unrighteous, adulterers, or even as this tax-gatherer;read more.
I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all things -- as many as I possess. And the tax-gatherer, having stood afar off, would not even the eyes lift up to the heaven, but was smiting on his breast, saying, God be propitious to me -- the sinner! I say to you, this one went down declared righteous, to his house, rather than that one: for every one who is exalting himself shall be humbled, and he who is humbling himself shall be exalted.'

And king David cometh in and sitteth before Jehovah, and saith, 'Who am I, Lord Jehovah? and what my house, that Thou hast brought me hitherto?

and My people on whom My name is called be humbled, and pray, and seek My face, and turn back from their evil ways, then I -- I hear from the heavens, and forgive their sin, and heal their land.

For Thou desirest not sacrifice, or I give it, Burnt-offering Thou acceptest not. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, A heart broken and bruised, O God, Thou dost not despise.

For thus said the high and exalted One, Inhabiting eternity, and holy is His name: 'In the high and holy place I dwell, And with the bruised and humble of spirit, To revive the spirit of the humble, And to revive the heart of bruised ones,'

And the centurion answering said, 'Sir, I am not worthy that thou mayest enter under my roof, but only say a word, and my servant shall be healed;

And Jesus was going on with them, and now when he is not far distant from the house the centurion sent unto him friends, saying to him, 'Sir, be not troubled, for I am not worthy that under my roof thou mayest enter;

Beloved, if our heart may not condemn us, we have boldness toward God, and whatever we may ask, we receive from Him, because His commands we keep, and the things pleasing before Him we do,

And Samuel saith, 'Hath Jehovah had delight in burnt-offerings and sacrifices as in hearkening to the voice of Jehovah? lo, hearkening than sacrifice is better; to give attention than fat of rams;

For I did not speak with your fathers, Nor did I command them in the day of My bringing them out of the land of Egypt, Concerning the matters of burnt-offering and sacrifice, But this thing I commanded them, saying: Hearken to My voice, And I have been to you for God, And ye -- ye are to Me for a people, And have walked in all the way that I command you, So that it is well for you.

Far is Jehovah from the wicked, And the prayer of the righteous He heareth.

and God saith unto him, 'Because that thou hast asked this thing, and hast not asked for thee many days, nor asked for thee riches, nor asked the life of thine enemies, and hast asked for thee discernment to understand judgment, lo, I have done according to thy words; lo, I have given to thee a heart, wise and understanding, that like thee there hath not been before thee, and after thee there doth not arise like thee;

The eyes of Jehovah are unto the righteous, And His ears unto their cry.

And ye have sought Me, and have found, for ye seek Me with all your heart;

And -- ye have sought from thence Jehovah thy God, and hast found, when thou seekest Him with all thy heart, and with all thy soul,

'And thou, Solomon, my son, know the God of thy father, and serve Him with a perfect heart, and with a willing mind, for all hearts is Jehovah seeking, and every imagination of the thoughts He is understanding; if thou dost seek Him, He is found of thee, and if thou dost forsake Him, He casteth thee off for ever.

And Jesus answering said to them, 'Verily I say to you, If ye may have faith, and may not doubt, not only this of the fig-tree shall ye do, but even if to this mount ye may say, Be lifted up and be cast into the sea, it shall come to pass; and all -- as much as ye may ask in the prayer, believing, ye shall receive.'

And Jesus answering saith to them, 'Have faith of God; for verily I say to you, that whoever may say to this mount, Be taken up, and be cast into the sea, and may not doubt in his heart, but may believe that the things that he saith do come to pass, it shall be to him whatever he may say. Because of this I say to you, all whatever -- praying -- ye do ask, believe that ye receive, and it shall be to you.

'Ask, and it shall be given to you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened to you; for every one who is asking doth receive, and he who is seeking doth find, and to him who is knocking it shall be opened. Or what man is of you, of whom, if his son may ask a loaf -- a stone will he present to him?read more.
and if a fish he may ask -- a serpent will he present to him? if, therefore, ye being evil, have known good gifts to give to your children, how much more shall your Father who is in the heavens give good things to those asking him?

and I say to you, Ask, and it shall be given to you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened to you; for every one who is asking doth receive; and he who is seeking doth find; and to him who is knocking it shall be opened. And of which of you -- the father -- if the son shall ask a loaf, a stone will he present to him? and if a fish, will he instead of a fish, a serpent present to him?read more.
and if he may ask an egg, will he present to him a scorpion? If, then, ye, being evil, have known good gifts to be giving to your children, how much more shall the Father who is from heaven give the Holy Spirit to those asking Him!'

And Jesus having entered into Capernaum, there came to him a centurion calling upon him, and saying, 'Sir, my young man hath been laid in the house a paralytic, fearfully afflicted,' and Jesus saith to him, 'I, having come, will heal him.'read more.
And the centurion answering said, 'Sir, I am not worthy that thou mayest enter under my roof, but only say a word, and my servant shall be healed; for I also am a man under authority, having under myself soldiers, and I say to this one, Go, and he goeth, and to another, Be coming, and he cometh, and to my servant, Do this, and he doth it.' And Jesus having heard, did wonder, and said to those following, 'Verily I say to you, not even in Israel so great faith have I found; and I say to you, that many from east and west shall come and recline (at meat) with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the reign of the heavens, but the sons of the reign shall be cast forth to the outer darkness -- there shall be the weeping and the gnashing of the teeth.' And Jesus said to the centurion, 'Go, and as thou didst believe let it be to thee;' and his young man was healed in that hour.

And when he completed all his sayings in the ears of the people, he went into Capernaum; and a certain centurion's servant being ill, was about to die, who was much valued by him, and having heard about Jesus, he sent unto him elders of the Jews, beseeching him, that having come he might thoroughly save his servant.read more.
And they, having come near unto Jesus, were calling upon him earnestly, saying -- 'He is worthy to whom thou shalt do this, for he doth love our nation, and the synagogue he did build to us.' And Jesus was going on with them, and now when he is not far distant from the house the centurion sent unto him friends, saying to him, 'Sir, be not troubled, for I am not worthy that under my roof thou mayest enter; wherefore not even myself thought I worthy to come unto thee, but say in a word, and my lad shall be healed; for I also am a man placed under authority, having under myself soldiers, and I say to this one, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Be coming, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doth it.' And having heard these things Jesus wondered at him, and having turned to the multitude following him, he said, 'I say to you, not even in Israel so much faith did I find;' and those sent, having turned back to the house, found the ailing servant in health.

And Jesus having come forth thence, withdrew to the parts of Tyre and Sidon, and lo, a woman, a Canaanitess, from those borders having come forth, did call to him, saying, 'Deal kindly with me, Sir -- Son of David; my daughter is miserably demonized.' And he did not answer her a word; and his disciples having come to him, were asking him, saying -- 'Let her away, because she crieth after us;'read more.
and he answering said, 'I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.' And having come, she was bowing to him, saying, 'Sir, help me;' and he answering said, 'It is not good to take the children's bread, and to cast to the little dogs.' And she said, 'Yes, sir, for even the little dogs do eat of the crumbs that are falling from their lords' table;' then answering, Jesus said to her, 'O woman, great is thy faith, let it be to thee as thou wilt;' and her daughter was healed from that hour.

And from thence having risen, he went away to the borders of Tyre and Sidon, and having entered into the house, he wished none to know, and he was not able to be hid, for a woman having heard about him, whose little daughter had an unclean spirit, having come, fell at his feet, -- and the woman was a Greek, a Syro-Phenician by nation -- and was asking him, that the demon he may cast forth out of her daughter.read more.
And Jesus said to her, 'Suffer first the children to be filled, for it is not good to take the children's bread, and to cast it to the little dogs.' And she answered and saith to him, 'Yes, sir; for the little dogs also under the table do eat of the children's crumbs.' And he said to her, 'Because of this word go; the demon hath gone forth out of thy daughter;' and having come away to her house, she found the demon gone forth, and the daughter laid upon the couch.

Verily, verily, I say to you, he who is believing in me, the works that I do -- that one also shall do, and greater than these he shall do, because I go on to my Father; and whatever ye may ask in my name, I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son; if ye ask anything in my name I will do it.