As we being our series "LET US PRAY", I was researching prayers offered in the Bible. It is obviously not a complete list of every pray recorded in the Bible, but you will get an idea of how prayer linked man to God. In an upcoming post, I will list some of the greatest prayers in the Bible.
What
did the people who lived in Bible times pray about? Everything! Prayer runs
through every book, and nearly every chapter. The prayers I have listed below are in alphabetical order by name of those who prayed.
Abijah's army - for victory in battle. (2
Chronicles 13:14) When Judah turned around, behold, they were attacked both
front and rear; so they cried to the Lord, and the priests blew the trumpets.
Abraham - for a son (Genesis 15:2) And
Abram said, "O Lord God, what wilt Thou give me, since I am childless, and
the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?"
Abraham - for Ishmael (Genesis 17:18) And
Abraham said to God, "Oh that Ishmael might live before Thee!"
Abraham - for Sodom (Genesis 18:23-24) And
Abraham came near and said, "Wilt Thou indeed sweep away the righteous
with the wicked? Suppose there are fifty righteous with the city; wilt Thou
indeed sweep it away and not spare the place for the sake or the fifty
righteous who are in it?"
Abraham - for Abimelech (Genesis 20:17)
And Abraham prayed to God; and God healed Abimelech and his wife and his maids,
so that they bore children.
Abraham's servant - for guidance (Genesis
24:12,14) And he said, "O Lord, the God of my master Abraham, please
grant me success today, and show loving kindness to my master Abraham…now may
it be that the girl to whom I say, 'please let down your jar so that I may
drink,' and who answers, 'Drink, and I will water your camels also';--may she
be the one whom Thou hast appointed for Thy servant Isaac…"
Asa - for victory (2 Chronicles 14:11)
Then Asa called to the Lord his God, and said, "Lord, there is no one
besides Thee to help in the battle between the powerful and those who have no
strength; so help us, O Lord our God, for we trust in Thee, and in Thy name
have come against this multitude. O Lord, Thou art our God; let not man prevail
against Thee."
Cain - for mercy (Genesis 4:13-14) And
Cain said to the Lord, "My punishment is too great to bear! Behold, Thou
hast driven me this day from the face of the ground; and from Thy face I shall
be hidden, and I shall be a vagrant and a wanderer on the earth and it will
come about that whoever finds me will kill me."
Centurion - for his servant (Matthew 8:5-6)
"And when He had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, entreating
Him, and saying, 'Lord, my servant is lying paralyzed at home, suffering great
pain.'"
Christian disciples - for boldness ( Acts
4:29-30) "And now, Lord, take note of their threats, and grant that
Thy bond-servants may speak Thy word with all confidence, while Thou dost
extend Thy hand to heal, and signs and wonders take place through the name of
Thy holy servant Jesus."
Christians - for Peter (Acts 12:5) So
Peter was kept in the prison, but prayer for him was being made fervently by
the church to God.
Cornelius - for enlightenment (Acts 10:3-4)
About the ninth hour of the day he clearly saw in a vision an angel of God who
had just come in to him, and said to him, "Cornelius!" And fixing his
gaze upon him and being much alarmed, he said, "What is it, Lord?"
And he said to him, "Your prayers and alms have ascended as a memorial
before God."
Thief at the cross - for salvation (Luke
23:42) And he was saying, "Jesus, remember me when You come in Your
kingdom!"
Daniel - for dream interpretation (Daniel
2:17-18) Then Daniel went to his house and informed his friends, Hananiah,
Mishael and Azariah, about the matter, in order that they might request
compassion from the God of heaven concerning this mystery, so that Daniel and
his friends might not be destroyed with the rest of the wise men of Babylon.
Daniel - for the Jews (Daniel 9:3-5) So I
gave my attention to the Lord God and seek Him by prayer and supplications,
with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes. And I prayed to the Lord my God and
confessed and said, "Alas, O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps
His covenant and loving kindness for those who love Him and keep His
commandments, we have sinned, committed iniquity, acted wickedly, and rebelled,
even turning aside from Thy commandments and ordinances."
David - for blessing (2 Samuel 7:18) Then
David the king went in and sat before the Lord, and he said, "Who am I, O
Lord God, and what is my house, that Thou hast brought me this far?"
David - for direction (1 Samuel 23:10- 13)
Then David said, "O Lord God of Israel, Thy servant has heard for certain
that Saul is seeking to come to Keilah to destroy the city on my account. Will
the men of Keilah surrender me into his hand? Will Saul come down just as Thy
servant has heard? O Lord God of Israel, I pray, tell Thy servant." And
the Lord said, "He will come down." Then David said, "Will the
men of Keilah surrender me and my men into the hand of Saul?" And the Lord
said, "They will surrender you." Then David and his men, about six
hundred, arose and departed from Keilah, and they went wherever they could go.
When it was told Saul that David had escaped from Keilah, he gave up the
pursuit."
David - for repentance (Psalm 51:10-13) Create
in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast
me away from They presence, and do not take Thy Holy Spirit from me. Restore to
me the joy of Thy salvation, and sustain me with a willing spirit. Then I will
teach transgressors Thy ways, and sinners will be converted to Thee.
Elijah - for drought and rain (James 5:17-18)
Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it might
not rain; and it did not rain on the earth for three years and six months. And
he prayed again, and the sky poured rain, and the earth produced its fruit.
(See 1 Kings 17 -19 for the original story.)
Elijah - raising the widow's son from the dead
(1 Kings 17:20-22) And he called to the Lord and said, "O Lord my God,
hast Thou also brought calamity to the widow with whom I am staying, by causing
her son to die?" Then he stretched himself upon the child three times, and
called to the Lord, and said, "O Lord my God, I pray Thee, let this
child's life return to him." And the Lord heard the voice of Elijah, and
the life of the child returned to him and he revived.
Elijah - for death (1 Kings 19:4) But he
himself went a day's journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a
juniper tree; and he requested for himself that he might die, and said,
"It is enough; now, O Lord, take my life, for I am not better than my
fathers."
Elisha - for sight and blindness (2 Kings
6:17-18) Then Elisha prayed and said, "O Lord, I pray, open his eyes
that he may see." And the Lord opened the servant's eyes, and he saw; and
behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.
And when they came down to him, Elisha prayed to the Lord and said, "Strike
this people with blindness, I pray." So He struck them with blindness
according to the word of Elisha.
Ezra - confession for the sins of Israel (Ezra
9:6) "O my God, I am ashamed and embarrassed to lift up my face to
Thee, my God, for our iniquities have risen above our heads, and our guilt has
grown even to the heavens."
Gideon - for proof of God's call (Judges 6:36)
Then Gideon said to God, "If Thou wilt deliver Israel through me, as Thou
hast spoken, behold, I will put a fleece of wool on the threshing floor. If
there is dew on the fleece only, and it is dry on all the ground, then I will
know that Thou wilt deliver Israel through me, as Thou hast spoken."
Habakkuk - for justice (Habakkuk 1:2-4)
How long, O Lord, will I call for help, and Thou wilt not hear? I cry out to
Thee, "Violence!" yet Thou dost not save. Why dost Thou make me see
iniquity, and cause me to look on wickedness? Yes, destruction and violence are
before me; strife exists and contention arises. Therefore, the law is ignored
and justice is never upheld. For the wicked surround the righteous; therefore,
justice comes out perverted.
Habakkuk - for revival and deliverance
(Habakkuk 3:2) Lord, I have heard the report about Thee and I fear. O Lord,
revive Thy work in the midst of the years, In the midst of the years make it
known; in wrath remember mercy.
Hannah - for a son (1 Samuel 10:11) And
she, greatly distressed, prayed to the Lord and wept bitterly. And she made a
vow and said, "O Lord of hosts, if Thou wilt indeed look on the affliction
of Thy maidservant and remember me, and not forget Thy maidservant, but wilt
give Thy maidservant a son, then I will give him to the Lord all the days of
his life, and a razor shall never come on his head."
Hezekiah - for deliverance (2 Kings 19:15-19)
And Hezekiah prayed before the Lord and said, "O Lord, the God of Israel,
who art enthroned above the cherubim, Thou art the God, Thou alone, of all the
kingdoms of the earth. Thou hast made heaven and earth. Incline Thine ear, O
Lord, and hear; open Thine eyes, O Lord, and see; and listen to the words of
Sennacherib, which he has sent to reproach the living God. Truly, O Lord, the
kings of Assyria have devastated the nations and their lands and have cast their
gods into the fire, for they were not gods but the work of men's hands, wood
and stone. So they have destroyed them. And now, O Lord our God, I pray,
deliver us from his hand that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that Thou
alone, O Lord, art God."
Hezekiah - for health (2 Kings 20:3)
"Remember now, O Lord, I beseech Thee, how I have walked before Thee in
truth and with a whole heart, and have done what is good in Thy sight."
And Hezekiah wept bitterly.
Holy Spirit - for us when we don't know how to
pray (Romans 8:26) And in the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness;
for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes
for us with groanings too deep for words."
Isaac - for children (Genesis 25:21) And
Isaac prayed to the Lord on behalf of his wife, because she was barren; and the
Lord answered him and Rebekah his wife conceived.
Israelites - for deliverance (Exodus 2:23)
Now it came about in the course of those many days that the king of Egypt died.
And the sons of Israel sighed because of the bondage, and they cried out; and
their cry for help because of their bondage rose up to God.
Jabez - for prosperity (1 Chronicles 4:10)
Now Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying, "Oh that Thou wouldst bless
me indeed, and enlarge my border, and that Thy hand might be with me, and that
Thou wouldst keep me from harm, that it may not pain me!" And God granted
him what he requested.
Jacob - wrestled with God for blessing
(Genesis 32:24-28) Then Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him
until daybreak. And when he saw that he had not prevailed against him, he
touched the socket of his thigh; so the socket of Jacob's thigh was dislocated
while he wrestled with him. Then he said, "Let me go, for the dawn is
breaking." But he said, "I will not let you go unless you bless
me." So he said to him, "What is your name?" and he said,
"Jacob." And he said, "Your name shall no longer be Jacob, but
Israel; for you have striven with God and with men and have prevailed."
Jacob - deliverance from Esau (Genesis 32:11)
"Deliver me, I pray, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau;
for I fear him, lest he come and attack me, the mothers with the children.
Jehoahaz - for favor from the enemy (2 Kings
13:4) Then Jehoahaz entreated the favor of the Lord, and the Lord listened
to him; for He saw the oppression of Israel, how the king of Aram oppressed them.
Jehoshaphat - for deliverance (2 Chronicles
18:31) So it came about when the captains of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat,
that they said, "It is the king of Israel, " and they turned aside to
fight against him. But Jehoshaphat cried out, and the Lord helped him and God
diverted them from him."
Jeremiah - intercession on behalf of the
people (Jeremiah 42:2) And (they) said to Jeremiah the prophet,
"Please let our petition come before you, and pray for us to the Lord your
God, that is for all this remnant; because we are left but a few out of many,
as your own eyes now see us, that the Lord your God may tell us the way in
which we should walk and the thing that we should do."
Jeremiah - for mercy (Jeremiah 14:7)
Although our iniquities testify against us, O Lord, act for Thy name's sake!
Truly our apostasies have been many, we have sinned against Thee.
Jesus - The Lord's Prayer (Matthew 6:9)
Pray, then, in this way: "Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed by Thy
name. Thy kingdom come. They will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us
this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven
our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For
Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen."
Jesus - revelation to children (Matthew 11:25)
"I praise Thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that Thou didst hide
these things from the wise and intelligent and didst reveal them to
babes."
Jesus - at the tomb of Lazarus (John 11:41-42)
And so they removed the stone. And Jesus raised His eyes, and said,
"Father, I thank Thee that Thou heardest Me. And I knew that Thou hearest
Me always; but because of the people standing around I said it, that they may
believe that Thou didst send Me."
Jesus - for the church (John 17:1-26)
"Father, the hour has come; glorify Thy Son, that the Son may glorify
Thee, even as Thou gavest Him authority over all mankind, that to all whom Thou
hast given Him, He may give eternal life. And this is eternal life, that they
may know Thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom Thou hast sent. I
glorified Thee on the earth, having accomplished the work which Thou hast given
Me to do. (The passage continues).
Jesus - for deliverance from the cross
(Matthew 26:39) And He went a little beyond the, and fell on His face and
prayed, saying, "My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me;
yet not as I will, but as Thou wilt."
Jesus - forgiveness for his killers (Luke
23:34) But Jesus was saying, "Father, forgive them; for they do not
know what they are doing."
Jesus - submission to God's plan (Luke 23:46)
And Jesus, crying out with a loud voice, said, "Father, into Thy hands I
commit My spirit." And having said this, He breathed His last.
Jews through Ezra - for safe journey (Ezra
8:21) Then I proclaimed a fast there at the river of Ahava, that we might
humble ourselves before our God to seek from Him a safe journey for us, our
little ones, and all our possessions.
Job - confession of surrender to God's
sovereignty (Job 42:1-6) "'Therefore I retract, and I repent in dust and
ashes.'"
Jonah - for deliverance from the fish (Jonah
2:1-9) Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the stomach of the fish, and
he said, "I called out of my distress to the Lord, and He answered me. I
cried for help from the depth of Sheol; Thou didst hear my voice. Etc.
Joshua - for help and mercy (Joshua 7:6-9)
Then Joshua tore his clothes and fell to the earth on his face before the ark
of the Lord until the evening, both he and elders of Israel; and they put dust
on their heads. And Joshua said, "Alas, O Lord God, why didst Thou ever
bring this people over the Jordan, only to deliver us into the hand of the
Amorites, to destroy us? If only we had been willing to dwell beyond the
Jordan! O Lord, what can I say since Israel has turned their back before their
enemies? For the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land will hear of
it, and they will surround us and cut off our name from the earth. And what
wilt Thou do for Thy great name?"
Leper - for healing (Matthew 8:2) And
behold, a leper came to Him, and bowed down to Him, saying, "Lord, if You
are willing, You can make me clean."
Manasseh - for deliverance (2 Chronicles
33:12-13) And when he was in distress, he entreated the Lord his God and
humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers. When he prayed to Him,
He was moved by his entreaty and heard his supplication, and brought him again
to Jerusalem to his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the Lord was God.
Manoah - for guidance (Judges 13:8) Then
Manoah entreated the Lord and said, "O Lord, please let the man of God
whom Thou hast sent come to us again that he may teach us what to do for the
boy who is to be born."
Moses - for Pharaoh (Exodus 8:8-9) Then
Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron and said, "Entreat the Lord that He
remove the frogs from me and from my people; and I will let the people go, that
they may sacrifice to the Lord." And Moses said to Pharaoh, "The
honor is yours to tell me. When shall I entreat for you and your servants and
your people, that the frogs be destroyed from you and your houses, that they
may be left only in the Nile?"
Moses - for water (Exodus 15:24-25) So the
people grumbled at Moses, saying, "What shall we drink?" Then he
cried out to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a tree; and he threw it into the
waters, and the waters became sweet. There He made for them a stature and
regulation, and there He tested them.
Moses - forgiveness for the sin of Israel
(Exodus 32:31-32) Then Moses returned to the Lord, and said; "Alas,
this people has committed a great sin, and they have made a god of gold for
themselves. But now, if Thou wilt, forgive their sin-and it no, please blot me
out from Thy book which Thou has written!"
Moses - for Miriam (Numbers 12:11-13) Then
Aaron said to Moses, "Oh, my lord, I beg you, do not account this sin to
us, in which we have acted foolishly and in which we have sinned. Oh, do not
let her be like one dead, whose flesh is half eaten away when he comes from his
mother's womb!" And Moses cried out to the Lord, saying, "O God, heal
her, I pray!"
Moses - to see the Promised Land (Deuteronomy
3:23-25) I also pleaded with the Lord at that time, saying, "O Lord
God, Thou hast begun to show Thy servant Thy greatness and Thy strong hand; for
what god is there in heaven or on earth who can do such works and mighty acts
as Thine? Let me, I pray, cross over and see the fair land that is beyond the
Jordan, that good hill country and Lebanon."
Moses - for a successor (Numbers 27:15-17)
Then Moses spoke to the Lord, saying, "May the Lord, the God of the
spirits of all flesh, appoint a man over the congregation, who will go out and
come in before them, and who will lead them out and bring them in, that the
congregation of the Lord may not be like sheep which have no shepherd."
Nehemiah - for the Jews to return to their
land (Nehemiah 1:4-11) Now it came about when I heard these words, I sat
down and wept and mourned for days; and I was fasting and praying before the
God of heaven. And I said, "I beseech Thee, O Lord God of heaven, the
great and awesome God, who preserves the covenant and loving kindness for those
who love Him and keep His commandments, let Thine ear now be attentive and
Thine eyes open to hear the prayer of Thy servant which I am praying before
Thee now, day and night, on behalf of the sons of Israel Thy servants,
confessing the sins of the sons of Israel which we have sinned against Thee; I
and my father's house have sinned." Etc.
Paul - for healing of Publius' father (Acts
28:8) And it came about that the father of Publius was lying in bed
afflicted with recurrent fever and dysentery; and Paul went in to see him and
after he had prayed, he laid his hands on him and healed him.
Paul - for the Ephesians (Ephesians 3:14-21)
For this reason, I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in
heaven and on earth derives its name, that He would grant you, according to the
riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the
inner man; so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you,
being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the
saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the
love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the
fullness of God. Now to Him who is able to do exceeding abundantly beyond all
that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be
the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and
ever. Amen.
Paul - for deliverance from his thorn (2
Corinthians 12:8) Concerning this I entreated the Lord three times that it
might depart from me. And He has said to me, "My grace is sufficient for
you, for power is perfected in weakness."
People of Judah - for a covenant (2 Chronicles
15:12) And they entered into the covenant to seek the Lord God of their
fathers with all their heart and soul.
Peter - for raising Dorcas from the dead (Acts
9:40) But Peter sent them all out and knelt down and prayed, and turning to
the body said, "Tabitha, arise." And she opened her eyes, and when
she saw Peter, she sat up.
Rebekah - for wisdom (Genesis 25:22-23)
But the children struggled together within her; and she said, "If it is
so, why then am I this way?" So she went to inquire of the Lord. And the
Lord said to her, "Two nations are in your womb; and two peoples shall be
separated from your body; and one people shall be stronger than the other; and
the older shall serve the younger."
Samson - for water (Judges 15:18) Then he
became very thirsty, and he called to the Lord and said, "Thou hast given
this great deliverance by the hand of Thy servant, and now shall I die of
thirst and fall into the hands of the uncircumcised?"
Samson - for strength (Judges 16:28) Then
Samson called to the Lord and said, "O Lord God, please remember me and
please strengthen me just this time, O God, that I may at once be avenged of
the Philistines for my two eyes."
Samuel - for Israel (1 Samuel 7:5-6) Then
Samuel said, "Gather all Israel to Mizpah, and I will pray to the Lord for
you." And they gathered to Mizpah, and drew water and poured it out before
the Lord, and fasted on that day, and said there, "We have sinned against
the Lord." And Samuel judged the sons of Israel at Mizpah.
Solomon - for wisdom (1 Kings 3:6-9) The
Solomon said, "Thou hast shown great loving kindness to Thy servant David
my father, according as he walked before Thee in truth and righteousness and
uprightness of heart toward Thee; and Thou hast reserved for him this great loving
kindness, that Thou hast given him a son to sit on his throne, as it is this
day. And now, O Lord my God, Thou hast made Thy servant king in place of my
father David, yet I am but a little child; I do not know how to go out or come
in. And Thy servant is in the midst of Thy people which Thou hast chosen, a
great people who cannot be numbered or counted for multitude. So give Thy servant
an understanding heart to judge Thy people to discern between good and evil.
For who is able to judge this great people of Thine?"
Tax-gatherer - mercy (Luke 18:13)
"But the tax-gatherer, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to
lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast, saying, 'God, be
merciful to me, the sinner!'"
Zacharias - for a son (Luke 1:13) But the
angel said to him, "Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your petition has
been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will give him
the name John."
