38 Bible Verses about Prayer, Advice For Effective

But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you so that he will not hear.

If I regard iniquity in my heart, LORD will not hear.

Thus says LORD to this people: Even so they have loved to wander. They have not restrained their feet. Therefore LORD does not accept them. Now he will remember their iniquity, and visit their sins. And LORD said to me, Pray not for this people for good. When they fast, I will not hear their cry. And when they offer burnt-offering and meal-offering, I will not accept them. But I will consume them by the sword, and by the famine, and by the pestilence.

We have transgressed and have rebelled. Thou have not pardoned. Thou have covered with anger and pursued us. Thou have slain; thou have not pitied. Thou have covered thyself with a cloud, so that no prayer can pass through.

Then they shall cry to LORD, but he will not answer them. Yea, he will hide his face from them at that time, according as they have wrought evil in their doings.

And it has come to pass that, as he cried, and they would not hear, so they shall cry, and I will not hear, said LORD of hosts.

So I spoke to you, and ye did not hearken, but ye rebelled against the commandment of LORD, and were presumptuous, and went up into the hill-country. And the Amorites, who dwelt in that hill-country, came out against you, and chased you, as bees do, and beat you down in Seir, even to Hormah. And ye returned and wept before LORD, but LORD did not hearken to your voice, nor gave ear to you.

Then they will call upon me, but I will not answer. They will seek me diligently, but they shall not find me, because they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of LORD. They wanted none of my counsel. They despised all my reproof.read more.
Therefore they shall eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices.

Ye ask, and do not receive, because ye ask wrongly, so that ye may spend on your pleasures.

And when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide my eyes from you. Yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear; your hands are full of blood. Wash you, make you clean, put away the evil of your doings from before my eyes. Cease to do evil. Learn to do good. Seek justice, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow.

He who stops his ears at the cry of a poor man, he also shall cry, but shall not be heard.

Cry aloud, spare not. Lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and declare to my people their transgression, and to the house of Jacob their sins. Yet they seek me daily, and delight to know my ways. As a nation that did righteousness, and forsook not the ordinance of their God, they ask of me righteous judgments; they delight to draw near to God. Why have we fasted, [they say], and thou see not? We have afflicted our soul, and thou take no knowledge. Behold, in the day of your fast ye find pleasure, and exact from all your laborers.read more.
Behold, ye fast for strife and contention, and to smite with the fist of wickedness. Ye do not fast this day so as to make your voice to be heard on high. Is such the fast that I have chosen, the day for a man to afflict his soul? Is it to bow down his head as a rush, and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him? Will thou call this a fast, and an acceptable day to LORD? Is not this the fast that I have chosen: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the bands of the yoke, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke? Is it not to deal thy bread to a hungry man, and that thou bring the poor who are cast out to thy house, when thou see a naked man, that thou cover him, and that thou not hide thyself from thine own flesh?

But let him ask in faith, doubting nothing, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven by wind and tossed about. For that man should not think that he will receive anything from the Lord,

And he also spoke this parable to some of those who were persuaded in themselves that they were righteous, and disdained other men. Two men went up into the temple to pray, the one a Pharisee, and the other a tax collector. Having stood by himself, the Pharisee prayed these things: God, I thank thee that I am not as the rest of men, predatory, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector.read more.
I fast twice per Sabbath. I tithe all things, as many as I acquire. But the tax collector, having stood from afar, would not even lift his eyes to the sky, but beat upon his breast, saying, God, be thou merciful to me a sinful man. I say to you, this man went down to his house justified rather than that man. Because every man who lifts himself up will be made lower, and he who makes himself lower will be lifted up.

Then David the king went in, and sat before LORD. And he said, Who am I, O lord LORD, and what is my house, that thou have brought me thus far?

if my people, who are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

For thou delight not in sacrifice, else I would give it. Thou have no pleasure in burnt-offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit. A broken and contrite heart, O God, thou will not despise.

For thus says the high and lofty One who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: I dwell in the high and holy place, also with him who is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart o

And having answered, the centurion said, Lord, I am not worthy that thou should come under my roof, but only speak the word, and my boy will be healed.

And Jesus went with them. And when he was now not far distant from the house, the centurion sent friends to him, saying to him, Lord, be not troubled, for I am not worthy that thou should come under my roof.

Beloved, if our heart should not condemn us, we have confidence toward God, and whatever we may ask we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do things pleasing in his sight.

And Samuel said, Has LORD as great delight in burnt-offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.

For I spoke not to your fathers, nor commanded them in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, concerning burnt-offerings or sacrifices. But this thing I commanded them, saying, Hearken to my voice, and I will be your God, and ye shall be my people. And walk ye in all the way that I command you, that it may be well with you.

LORD is far from the wicked, but he hears the prayer of the righteous.

And God said to him, Because thou have asked this thing, and have not asked for thyself long life, neither have asked riches for thyself, nor have asked the life of thine enemies, but have asked for thyself understanding to discern behold, I have done according to thy word. Lo, I have given thee a wise and an understanding heart, so that there has been none like thee before thee, neither after thee shall any arise like thee.

The eyes of LORD are toward the righteous, and his ears are [open] to their {prayer (LXX/NT)}.

And ye shall seek me, and find me when ye shall search for me with all your heart.

But from there ye shall seek LORD thy God. And thou shall find him when thou search after him with all thy heart and with all thy soul.

And thou, Solomon my son, know thou the God of thy father, and serve him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind, for LORD searches all hearts, and understands all the imaginations of the thoughts. If thou seek him, he will be

And having answered, Jesus said to them, Truly I say to you, if ye have faith, and doubt not, ye will not only do that of the fig tree, but even if ye may say to this mountain, Be thou taken up and cast into the sea, it will happen And all things, as many as ye may ask in prayer, believing, ye will receive.

And having answered, Jesus says to them, Have faith in God. For truly I say to you, that whoever may say to this mountain, Be thou taken up and cast into the sea, and will not doubt in his heart, but will believe that what he says comes to pass, whatever he may say will be for him. Because of this I say to you, all things, as many as ye may ask, praying, believe that ye receive, and it will be for you.

Ask, and it will be given you. Seek, and ye will find. Knock, and it will be opened to you. For every man who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. Or what man is there of you, who, if his son may ask for bread, will give him a stone,read more.
and if he may ask for a fish, will give him a serpent? If ye therefore, being evil, know to give good gifts to your children, how much more your Father in the heavens will give good things to those who ask him?

And I say to you, ask, and it will be given you. Seek, and ye will find. Knock, and it will be opened. For every man who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. And which father of you, if the son will ask a loaf, will give him a stone, or also if a fish, in place of a fish will give him a serpent?read more.
Or if he should ask for an egg, will he give him a scorpion? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more the Father from heaven will give Holy Spirit to those who ask him?

And upon his entering into Capernaum, a centurion came to him, beseeching him, and saying, Lord, my boy has been laid down in the house, paralyzed, extremely tormented. And Jesus says to him, after coming I will heal him.read more.
And having answered, the centurion said, Lord, I am not worthy that thou should come under my roof, but only speak the word, and my boy will be healed. For I also am a man under authority, having soldiers under myself. And I say to this man, Go, and he goes, and to another, Come, and he comes, and to my bondman, Do this, and he does it. And when Jesus heard it, he marveled, and said to those who followed, Truly I say to you, not even in Israel have I found such great faith. And I say to you, that many will come from east and west, and will sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of the heavens, but the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into the outer darkness. There will be the weeping and the gnashing of teeth. And Jesus said to the centurion, Go thou. And as thou have believed, be it done to thee. And his boy was healed in that hour.

And when he completed all his sayings in the ears of the people, he entered into Capernaum. And a certain centurion's bondman faring badly was going to perish, who was esteemed by him. And having heard about Jesus, he sent elders of the Jews to him who asked him that, having come, he would save his bondman.read more.
And when they came to Jesus they urged him earnestly, saying, He is worthy for whom thou may offer this, for he loves our nation, and he himself built the synagogue for us. And Jesus went with them. And when he was now not far distant from the house, the centurion sent friends to him, saying to him, Lord, be not troubled, for I am not worthy that thou should come under my roof. Therefore neither did I consider myself worthy to come to thee, but speak by word, and my boy will be healed. For I also am a man set under authority, having soldiers under myself. And I say to this man, Go, and he goes, and to another, Come, and he comes, and to my bondman, Do this, and he does. And when Jesus heard these things, he marveled him, and having turned around to the multitude who followed him, he said, I say to you, not even in Israel have I found such great faith. And those who were sent, having returned to the house, found the bondman who was feeble, being well.

And having gone out from there, Jesus departed into the regions of Tyre and Sidon. And behold, a Canaanite woman having come out from those regions, cried out to him, saying, Be merciful to me, O Lord, thou son of David, my daughter is grievously demon-possessed. But he answered her not a word. And his disciples having approached, they besought him, saying, Send her away, because she cries out behind us.read more.
But having answered, he said, I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. But having come, she worshiped him, saying, Lord, help me. And having answered, he said, It is not right to take the children's bread and cast it to the house dogs. But she said, Yes, Lord, for even the house dogs eat of the crumbs that fall from the table of their masters. Then Jesus having answered, said to her, O woman, great is thy faith. Be it done for thee as thou desire. And her daughter was healed from that hour.

And having risen from there, he went away into the borders of Tyre and Sidon. And having entered into a house, he wanted no man to know it, and yet he could not be hid. For a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit, after hearing about him, having come, she fell down at his feet. Now the woman was a Greek, a Syrophoenician by race. And she besought him that he would cast out the demon from her daughter.read more.
And Jesus said to her, Allow the children first be filled, for it is not right to take the children's bread and cast it to the house dogs. But she answered and says to him, Yes, Lord, for even the house dogs under the table eat of the children's crumbs. And he said to her, Because of this saying, go thou. The demon has gone out of thy daughter. And having departed to her house, she found the demon having gone out, and her daughter laid upon the bed.

Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in me, the works that I do, that man will also do. And he will do greater than these, because I go to the Father. And anything whatever ye may ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye will ask me anything in my name, I will do it.