30 Bible Verses about Prayer, Persistence In

I waited expectantly for the LORD, and he took notice of me and heard my cry.

LORD, God of my salvation, by day and by night I cry out before you.

Seek the LORD and his strength. Always look to him.

for he listens to me whenever I call.

Jesus told his disciples a parable about their need to pray all the time and never give up. He said, "In a city there was a judge who didn't fear God or respect people. In that city there was also a widow who kept coming to him and saying, "Grant me justice against my adversary.' read more.
For a while the judge refused. But later, he told himself, "I don't fear God or respect people, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will grant her justice. Otherwise, she will keep coming and wear me out.'" Then the Lord added, "Listen to what the unrighteous judge says. Won't God grant his chosen people justice when they cry out to him day and night? Is he slow to help them? I tell you, he will give them justice quickly. But when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?"

Then he told them, "Suppose one of you has a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say to him, "Friend, let me borrow three loaves of bread. A friend of mine on a trip has dropped in on me, and I don't have anything to serve him.' Suppose he answers from inside, "Stop bothering me! The door is already locked, and my children are here with us in the bedroom. I can't get up and give you anything!' read more.
I tell you, even though that man doesn't want to get up and give him anything because he is his friend, he will get up and give him whatever he needs because of his persistence. So I say to you: Keep asking, and it will be given you. Keep searching, and you will find. Keep knocking, and the door will be opened for you, because everyone who keeps asking will receive, and the person who keeps searching will find, and the person who keeps knocking will have the door opened.

With one mind, all of them kept devoting themselves to prayer, along with the women (including Mary the mother of Jesus) and his brothers.

The believers continued to devote themselves to what the apostles were teaching, to fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to times of prayer.

Pray in the Spirit at all times with every kind of prayer and request. Likewise, be alert with your most diligent efforts and pray for all the saints.

Be joyful in hope, patient in trouble, and persistent in prayer.

Continually be prayerful.

Abraham approached and asked, "Will you actually destroy the righteous along with the wicked? Perhaps there are 50 righteous ones within the city. Will you actually destroy it and not forgive the place for the sake of the 50 righteous that are found there? Far be it from you to do such a thing to kill the righteous along with the wicked, so that the righteous and the wicked are treated alike! The Judge of all the earth will do what is right, won't he?"read more.
The LORD said, "If I find 50 righteous people within Sodom, I'll forgive the whole place for their sake." Abraham answered, "Look, even though I am only dust and ashes, I've ventured to speak to my LORD. What if there are five less than 50 righteous ones? Will you bring destruction upon the city because of those five?" The LORD said, "I won't destroy it if I find 45 there." Abraham continued to speak to him, asking, "What if 40 are found there?" The LORD replied, "I won't do it for the sake of those 40." Abraham then asked, "I hope my LORD will not be angry if I speak. What if 30 are found there?" The LORD answered, "I won't do it for the sake of those 30." "Look," Abraham said, "I've presumed to speak to my LORD" so what if 20 are found there?" "For the sake of those 20," the LORD responded, "I won't destroy it." Finally, Abraham inquired, "I hope my LORD will not be angry if I speak only once more. What if ten are found there?" He replied, "For the sake of those ten I won't destroy it." As soon as he finished talking to Abraham, the LORD left and Abraham returned to where he had been sitting.

And so Jacob was left alone, and he struggled with a man until daybreak. When the man realized that he hadn't yet won the struggle, he injured the socket of Jacob's thigh, dislocating it as he wrestled with him, and said, "Let me go, because the dawn has come." "I won't let you go," Jacob replied, "unless you bless me."read more.
Then the man asked him, "What's your name?" "Jacob," he responded "Your name won't be Jacob anymore," the man replied, "but Israel, because you exerted yourself against both God and men, and you've emerged victorious." "Please," Jacob inquired, "Tell me your name." But he asked, "Why are you asking about my name?" And he blessed Jacob there. Jacob would later call that place Peniel, because "I saw God face to face, but my life was spared." The sun was rising above Jacob as he crossed over from Peniel, limping due to his wounded thigh. Therefore, to this day the Israelis do not eat the hip tendon that connects to the thigh socket, because he had injured the socket of the thigh where the tendon connected to Jacob's hip.

I fell down in the LORD's presence for 40 days and nights, because the LORD said he was ready to destroy you. So I prayed to the LORD and said, "Oh LORD my God, don't destroy your people and your inheritance whom you redeemed by your power. You brought them out from Egypt in a powerful way. Remember your servants Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Don't pay attention to the stubbornness, wickedness, and sinfulness of this people. read more.
Otherwise, the people of the land from which you brought us will say, "The LORD wasn't able to bring them out of the land that he had promised them. So he brought them out to kill them in the desert because he hated them." But they are your people and inheritance, whom you brought out by your mighty strength and awesome power.'"

Moses returned to the LORD and said, "Please, LORD, this people committed a great sin by making a god of gold for themselves. Now, if you will, forgive their sin but if not, blot me out of your book which you have written."

Deeply distressed, she prayed to the LORD and wept bitterly. Hannah made a vow: "LORD of the Heavenly Armies, if you just look at the misery of your maid servant, remember me, and don't forget your maid servant. If you give your maid servant a son, then I'll give him to the LORD for all the days of his life, and a razor is never to touch his head."

Elijah was a person just like us, and he prayed earnestly for it not to rain, and rain never came to the land for three years and six months. Then he prayed again, and the skies poured out rain, and the ground produced its crops.

As the time for the evening offering arrived, Elijah the prophet approached and said, "LORD God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known today that you are God in Israel and that I, your servant, have done all of this in obedience to your word. Answer me, LORD! Answer me so that this people may know that you, LORD, are God, and that you are turning back their hearts again." Right then the LORD's fire fell and consumed the burnt offering, the wood, the stones, the dust, and even the water that was in the trench! read more.
When all the people saw what had happened, they fell flat on their faces and cried out "The LORD is God! The LORD is God!" But Elijah said, "Arrest the prophets of Baal. Don't let even one of them get away." So the people seized them, and Elijah brought them down to the Wadi Kishon and executed them there. After this, Elijah told Ahab, "Get up and have something to eat and drink, because there's the sound of a coming rainstorm." So Ahab got up to get something to eat and drink while Elijah went back up to the top of Mount Carmel, where he bowed low to the ground and placed his face between his knees. Then he told his young servant, "Go and look toward the sea." So he went and looked out to sea. "Nothing there," he said. But Elijah told him to go back seven times. On the seventh look, he said, "Look! There's a cloud, a small one, about the size of a man's hand. It's coming up out of the sea!" "Get up and find Ahab!" Elijah said. "Tell him, "Mount your chariot and ride down the mountain so the storm doesn't stop you.'"

LORD, God of my salvation, by day and by night I cry out before you. Let my prayer come before you; listen to my cry. For my life is filled with troubles as I approach Sheol.read more.
I am considered as one of those descending into the Pit, like a mighty man without strength, released to remain with the dead, lying in a grave like a corpse, remembered no longer, and cut off from your power. You have assigned me to the lowest part of the Pit, to the darkest depths. Your anger lies heavily upon me; you pound me with all your waves. Interlude You caused my acquaintances to shun me; you make me extremely abhorrent to them. Restrained, I am unable to go out. My eyes languish on account of my affliction; all day long I call out to you, LORD, I spread out my hands to you. Can you perform wonders for the dead? Can departed spirits stand up to praise you? Interlude Can your gracious love be declared in the grave or your faithfulness in Abaddon? Can your awesome deeds be known in darkness or your righteousness in the land of oblivion? As for me, I cry out to you LORD, and in the morning my prayer greets you. Why, LORD, have you rejected me? Why have you hidden your face from me? Since my youth I have been oppressed and in danger of death. I bear your dread and am overwhelmed. Your burning anger overwhelms me; your terrors destroy me. Like waters, they engulf me all day long; they surround me on all sides. You caused my friend and neighbor to shun me; and my acquaintances are confused. An instruction. By Ethan, the Ezrahite

I get up before dawn and cry for help; I place my hope in your word. I look forward to the night watches, when I may meditate on what you have said. Hear my voice according to your gracious love. LORD, revive me in keeping with your justice.

I cry to you from the depths, LORD, Lord, listen to my voice; let your ears pay attention to what I ask of you! LORD, if you were to record iniquities, Lord, who could remain standing?read more.
But with you there is forgiveness, so that you may be feared. I wait for the LORD; my soul waits, and I will hope in his word. My soul looks to the Lord more than watchmen look for the morning more, indeed, than watchmen for the morning.

"Father, if you are willing, take this cup away from me. Yet not my will but yours be done." Then an angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him. In his anguish he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat became like large drops of blood falling on the ground.

Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane. He told the disciples, "Sit down here while I go over there and pray." Taking Peter and the two sons of Zebedee with him, he began to be grieved and troubled. Then he told them, "I'm so deeply grieved that I feel I'm about to die. Wait here and stay awake with me."read more.
Going on a little farther, he fell on his face and prayed, "O my Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me. Yet not what I want but what you want." When he went back to the disciples, he found them asleep. He told Peter, "So, you men couldn't stay awake with me for one hour, could you? All of you must stay awake and pray that you won't be tempted. The spirit is indeed willing, but the body is weak." He went away a second time and prayed, "My Father, if this cup cannot go away unless I drink it, let your will be done." Then he came back and found them asleep, because they could not keep their eyes open.

Then they came to a place called Gethsemane, and he told his disciples, "Sit down here while I pray." He took Peter, James, and John along with him, and he began to feel distressed and troubled. So he told them, "I'm deeply grieved, even to the point of death. Wait here and stay awake."read more.
Going on a little farther, he fell to the ground and kept praying that if it were possible the hour might pass from him. He kept repeating, "Abba! Father! All things are possible for you. Take this cup away from me. Yet not what I want but what you want." When he went back, he found his disciples asleep. "Simon, are you asleep?" he asked Peter. "You couldn't stay awake for one hour, could you? All of you must stay awake and pray that you won't be tempted. The spirit is indeed willing, but the body is weak." He went away again and prayed the same prayer as before. Again he came back and found them asleep, because they could not keep their eyes open. They didn't even know what they should say to him.

But as for me, I will look to the LORD; I will wait for the God who will deliver me. My God will hear me.

Wait on the LORD. Be courageous, and he will strengthen your heart. Wait on the LORD! Davidic

We wait on the LORD; he is our help and our shield.

Be silent in the LORD's presence and wait patiently for him. Don't be angry because of the one whose way prospers or the one who implements evil schemes.

Because I have placed my hope in you, LORD, you will answer, Lord, my God.

Yes, LORD, in the path of your judgments we wait; your name and your Law are the soul's desire.