27 Bible Verses about Prayer, Doubts About

Then Moses returned unto the LORD and said, Lord, why hast thou so afflicted this people? Why is it that thou hast sent me? For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in thy name, he has afflicted this people; neither hast thou delivered thy people at all.

And Abram said, Lord GOD, what wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless, and the steward of my house is this Eliezer of Damascus? And Abram said, Behold, to me thou hast given no seed; and, behold, one born in my house is my heir.

And Joshua said, Alas, O Lord GOD, why hast thou caused this people to pass the Jordan, to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us? We should have been content and dwelt on the other side of the Jordan! O Lord, what shall I say now that Israel has turned their backs before their enemies! For the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land shall hear of it and shall compass us around and cut off our name from upon the earth; then what wilt thou do unto thy great name?

And Moses said unto the LORD, Why hast thou afflicted thy slave and why have I not found grace in thy sight, that thou layest the burden of all these people upon me? Have I conceived all these people? Have I begotten them, that thou should say unto me, Carry them in thy bosom, as a nurse carries a sucking child, unto the land which thou hast sworn unto their fathers? Where should I find flesh to give unto all these people? For they weep unto me, saying, Give us flesh that we may eat.read more.
I am not able to bear all these people alone because it is too heavy for me. And if thou must deal thus with me, kill me, I pray thee, out of hand, if I have found grace in thy sight; and let me not see my wretchedness.

But he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness and came and sat down under a juniper tree; and desiring to die, he said, It is enough; now, O LORD, take away my life, for I am not better than my fathers.

O LORD, thou knowest: remember me and visit me and revenge me of my enemies; do not take me away in the prolongation of thy anger, know that for thy sake I have suffered rebuke. Thy words were found, and I ate them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of my heart: for thy name was called upon me, O LORD God of the hosts. I did not sit in the assembly of the mockers, nor did I become puffed up by reason of thy prophecy; I sat alone because thou hast filled me with indignation.read more.
Why was my pain perpetual and my wound incurable, which refuses to be healed? Wilt thou be altogether unto me as a liar and as waters that fail?

O LORD, thou hast seduced me, and I was seduced; thou wert stronger than I and hast overcome me; I am in derision daily; every one mocks me. For since I spoke out, I raised my voice crying, Violence and destruction; because the word of the LORD has been a reproach unto me and a derision, daily. And I said, I will not make mention of him, nor speak any more in his name. But he was in my heart as a burning fire and within my bones; I tried to forbear, and I could not.

But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was very angry. And he prayed unto the LORD and said, I pray thee, O LORD, was this not what I said when I was yet in my country? Therefore I hastened to flee unto Tarshish, for I knew that thou art a gracious God and full of compassion, slow to anger, and of great mercy, and dost repent when thou art come to take punishment. Therefore now, O LORD, take, I beseech thee, my life from me, for I would rather die than live.

And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? That is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?

And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani? which is, being interpreted, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?

My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? why art thou so far from helping me and from the words of my cry?

I will say unto God, Do not condemn me; cause me to understand why thou dost contend with me. Is it good unto thee that thou should oppress, that thou should reject the work of thine hands and shine upon the counsel of the wicked? Hast thou eyes of flesh? Dost thou see as man sees?read more.
Are thy days as the days of man? Are thy years as man's days, that thou dost enquire after my iniquity and search after my sin? Thou knowest that I am not wicked; and there is no one that can deliver out of thy hand. Thine hands have formed me and fashioned me together round about; yet thou dost destroy me. Remember now that thou hast formed me as the clay; and wilt thou bring me into dust again? Hast thou not poured me out as milk and curdled me like cheese? Thou hast clothed me with skin and flesh and hast hedged me with bones and sinews. Thou hast granted me life and mercy, and thy visitation has kept my spirit. And these things thou hast hid in thine heart; I know that this is with thee. If I sinned, wilt thou mark me and not cleanse me from my iniquity? If I am wicked, woe unto me; and if I am righteous, I will not lift up my head, being full of dishonour and of seeing my affliction. And thou dost increase. Thou dost hunt me as a fierce lion; turning and doing marvels in me. Thou dost renew thy plagues against me and increase thine indignation upon me, bringing up armies against me. Why then hast thou brought me forth out of the womb? Oh that I had given up the spirit and no eye had seen me! I should have been as though I had not been; I should have been carried from the womb to the grave. Are not my days few? Cease then, and let me alone, that I may take comfort a little, before I go, to not return, to the land of darkness and of the shadow of death; land of darkness, as darkness itself, and of the shadow of death, without any order, and where the light is as darkness.

At the least, grant me these two things; then I will not hide myself from thee: withdraw thy hand from me; and let not thy dread make me afraid. Then call, and I will answer; or let me speak, and answer thou me.read more.
How many are my iniquities and sins? Make me to know my transgression and my sin. Why dost thou hide thy face, and hold me for thine enemy? Wilt thou break a leaf driven to and fro? Wilt thou pursue the dry stubble? Why dost thou write bitter things against me and make me carry the iniquities of my youth. Thou dost put my feet also in the stocks and look narrowly unto all my paths; thou dost set a print upon the heels of my feet.

Man that is born of a woman is of few days and full of trouble. He comes forth like an open flower and is cut down; he flees as a shadow and does not remain. And dost thou open thine eyes upon such a one and bring me into judgment with thee?read more.
Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? No one. Seeing his days are determined, the number of his months are with thee, thou hast appointed his bounds that he cannot pass. If thou should leave him, he will cease to exist; until then, he shall desire, as a hireling, his day. For there is yet hope for a tree, if it is cut down, that it will sprout again and that its tender branch will not cease. Though its root waxes old in the earth and its trunk is dead in the ground, at the scent of water it will bud and bring forth boughs like a new plant. But when man shall die and be cut off, and the man shall perish, where shall he be? The waters from the sea went, and the river ran out, it dried up. So man lies down and does not rise; until there is no heaven, they shall not awake nor be raised out of their sleep. O that thou would hide me in Sheol, that thou would keep me covered until thy wrath is past, that thou would appoint me a set time and remember me! If a man dies, shall he live again? All the days of my appointed time I will wait until my transformation comes. Then thou shalt call, and I will answer thee; thou wilt have a desire towards the work of thine hands. For now thou dost number my steps; thou dost not open up my sin. My transgression is sealed up in a bag, and thou dost sew up my iniquity. And certainly the mountain that falls is undone, and the rocks are removed out of their place. The impetuous waters break the stones and wash away the dust of the earth; in like manner thou dost cause man to lose hope. Thou shalt be stronger than him for ever, and he passes; thou dost change his countenance and send him away. His sons shall be honoured and he shall not know of it; or they shall be afflicted, but he shall not perceive of them. But while his flesh is upon him, he shall have pain, and his soul within him shall mourn.

How long wilt thou forget me, O LORD? for ever? how long wilt thou hide thy face from me? How long shall I take counsel in my soul, having sorrow in my heart daily? how long shall my enemy be exalted over me?

I will say unto God, My rock, why hast thou forgotten me? Why do I go mourning because of the oppression of the enemy? It is as death in my bones when my enemies reproach me; while they say daily unto me, Where is thy God?

Yea, for thy sake are we killed all the day long; we are counted as sheep for the slaughter. Awake, why sleepest thou, O Lord? Arise, do not cast us off for ever. Why dost thou hide thy face and forget our affliction and our oppression?read more.
For our soul is bowed down to the dust; our belly cleaves unto the earth. Arise for our help and ransom us for thy mercies' sake.

Will the Lord cast off for ever? and will he be favourable no more? Is his mercy gone for ever? does his word fail from generation to generation? Has God forgotten to have mercy? has he in anger shut up his tender mercies? Selah.

O LORD God of the hosts, how long wilt thou be angry against the prayer of thy people? Thou dost feed them with the bread of tears and give them tears to drink in great measure. Thou dost make us a strife unto our neighbours, and our enemies laugh at us among themselves.

Thou hast laid me in the lowest pit, in darkness, in the deeps. Thy wrath lies hard upon me, and thou hast afflicted me with all thy waves. Selah. Thou hast put away mine acquaintances far from me; thou hast made me an abomination unto them; I am shut up, and I cannot come forth.read more.
My eye mourns by reason of affliction; LORD, I have called daily upon thee; I have stretched out my hands unto thee.

O LORD, how long shall I cry, and thou wilt not hear; and raise my voice unto thee because of the violence, and thou wilt not save? Why dost thou cause me to see iniquity and cause me to behold grievance and destruction and violence before me, in addition to those that raise up strife and contention?

And Abram said, Lord GOD, what wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless, and the steward of my house is this Eliezer of Damascus? And Abram said, Behold, to me thou hast given no seed; and, behold, one born in my house is my heir. And then the word of the LORD came unto him, saying, This shall not be thy heir; but he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thy heir.read more.
And he brought him forth abroad and said, Look now toward the heavens and count the stars, if thou art able to number them. And he said unto him, So shall thy seed be.

Then the LORD said unto Moses, Now thou shalt see what I will do to Pharaoh; for with a strong hand he must let them go, and with a strong hand he shall drive them out of his land. And God spoke unto Moses and said unto him, I am the LORD; and I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, as God Almighty, but by my name the LORD (YHWH) I was not known to them.read more.
And I also established my covenant with them, to give them the land of Canaan, the land of their pilgrimage, in which they were strangers. And likewise I have heard the groaning of the sons of Israel, whom the Egyptians keep in bondage, and I have remembered my covenant. Therefore say unto the sons of Israel, I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will free you out of their bondage, and I will redeem you with a stretched out arm and with great judgments. And I will take you as my people, and I will be your God: and ye shall know that I am the LORD your God, who brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. And I will bring you in unto the land, concerning which I raised my hand to give it to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob; and I will give it unto you for a heritage: I am the LORD.

And Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done and of how he had slain all the prophets with the sword. Then Jezebel sent a messenger unto Elijah, saying, So let the gods do to me, and more also, if by tomorrow at this time I have not made thy person as one of them. And when he saw that, he arose and departed to save his life and came to Beersheba, which is in Judah, and left his servant there.read more.
But he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness and came and sat down under a juniper tree; and desiring to die, he said, It is enough; now, O LORD, take away my life, for I am not better than my fathers. And as he lay and slept under a juniper tree, behold, then an angel touched him and said unto him, Arise and eat. Then he looked and behold, there was a cake baked on the coals and a cruse of water at his head. And he ate and drank and went back to sleep. And the angel of the LORD came again the second time and touched him and said, Arise and eat, for there is a great journey before thee. And he arose and ate and drank and went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights unto Horeb, the mount of God.

Moreover, the LORD answered Job and said, Shall he that contends with the Almighty instruct him? Let him that disputes with God answer this. Then Job answered the LORD and said,read more.
Behold, I am vile; what shall I answer thee? I will lay my hand over my mouth. Once I have spoken; but I will not answer; even twice, but I will proceed no further. Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind and said, Gird up thy loins now like a man; I will ask thee, and explain thou unto me. Wilt thou disannul my judgment? Wilt thou condemn me, that thou may be justified? Hast thou an arm like God? And canst thou thunder with a voice like him?

Therefore thus hath the LORD said, If thou wilt return, then I will bring thee again, and thou shalt stand before me; and if thou wilt take forth the precious from the vile, thou shalt be as my mouth; let them return unto thee, but return not thou unto them. And I will give thee unto this people as a fenced brazen wall, and they shall fight against thee but they shall not prevail against thee: for I am with thee to keep thee and to defend thee, said the LORD. And I will deliver thee out of the hand of the wicked, and I will ransom thee out of the hand of the strong.

Behold among the Gentiles and regard and wonder marvelously, for a work shall be done in your days which ye will not believe, though it be told you. For, behold, I raise up the Chaldeans, that bitter and hasty nation, which march through the breadth of the earth to possess the dwellingplaces that are not theirs. She is terrible and dreadful: from her herself shall go forth their rights and their grandeur.read more.
Their horses shall be swifter than tigers and are sharper than the evening wolves, and their horsemen shall multiply themselves, and their horsemen shall come from far; they shall fly as eagles that hasten to eat. All of her shall come for the prey, before their faces an east wind, and they shall gather the captives as the sand. And he shall scoff at the kings, and the princes shall be a scorn unto him, he shall deride every fortress and shall heap dust and take it. Then he shall become arrogant against God, and he shall pass ahead and shall be found guilty, imputing this his power unto his god.