Prayer

Prayer in the Bible is plain speech with God: asking, thanking, confessing, and sometimes only groaning. These passages show how Jesus taught it and how the first Christians practiced it.

Passages to start with

1. Matthew 6:5-13

   Jesus teaches prayer without show, to a Father who “knows what things you need before you ask him”, and gives the prayer known as the Lord’s Prayer.

   Read Matthew 6:5-13 in full

2. Luke 11:1-4

   A disciple asks, “Lord, teach us to pray”, and Jesus answers with a short prayer.

   Read Luke 11:1-4 in full

3. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

   Three short commands that belong together: rejoice, “Pray without ceasing”, and give thanks in everything.

   Read 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 in full

4. Romans 8:26-27

   For the times when words fail: “the Spirit also helps our weaknesses, for we don’t know how to pray as we ought”.

   Read Romans 8:26-27 in full

5. Psalm 62:8

   The psalms model honest prayer: “Pour out your heart before him”.

   Read Psalm 62:8 in full

Each passage opens in the World English Bible on this site. The reason beside it quotes the passage itself.

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• How did Jesus teach his followers to pray?

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Written with the help of an AI model. Scripture quotations are checked against the World English Bible. Approved by HisFullGlory. Not reviewed by a theological reader.