The Bible says that prayer is powerful. This simple article shares twenty verses that show why that claim is true. But before we consider the power and effectiveness of prayer, we need to be clear: prayer is not powerful because of the words we say, but because of the God who hears.
The Bible makes an important distinction between the prayers of those who are separated from God and the prayers of those who belong to Him by faith. The prophet Isaiah wrote, “Your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear” (Isaiah 59:2). Our sin separates us from God and closes His ear to our cries.
But when we turn from our sins and trust in Jesus Christ and His work on the cross, God graciously receives us as His children and hears our prayers. So yes, it is true and biblical to say, “there is power in prayer.” But it is even better to say, “God is powerful, and He is gracious to work through the prayers of His people.” Or as Dale Ralph Davis put it, “Prayer doesn’t change things, but prayer lays hold of God who changes things and who, in prayer, changes you.”
Let these 20 verses about the power and effectiveness of prayer lift your eyes to our gracious God and encourage you to pour out your heart to Him.
20 Bible Verses about the Power of Prayer
God invites us to pray
“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.” Matthew 7:7–8
Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known. Jeremiah 33:3
Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us. Psalm 62:8
God hears His people’s prayers
When you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. Matthew 6:6
I love the Lord, because he has heard my voice and my pleas for mercy. Because he inclined his ear to me, therefore I will call on him as long as I live. Psalm 116:1–2
The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth. Psalm 145:18
The Lord is far from the wicked, but he hears the prayer of the righteous. Proverbs 15:29
But truly God has listened; he has attended to the voice of my prayer. Blessed be God, because he has not rejected my prayer or removed his steadfast love from me! Psalm 66:19–20
The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord, but the prayer of the upright is acceptable to him. Proverbs 15:8
Prayer brings peace, wisdom, and help
If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. James 1:5
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6–7
Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved. Psalm 55:22
For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. Hebrews 4:15–16
Powerful prayer must align with God’s will and Word
And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. 1 John 5:14
“If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.” John 15:7
Whatever we ask we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him. 1 John 3:22
Powerful prayer requires through faith, righteousness, and repentance
Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise. Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. James 5:13–16
“And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.” Matthew 21:22
“Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.” Mark 11:24
If my people who are called by my name 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 heal their land. 2 Chronicles 7:14
There is Power in Prayer
If you truly believe that God promises to hear the prayers of His children, it will change the way you pray—and the way you live.
Charles Spurgeon wrote, “The best praying man is the man who is most believingly familiar with the promises of God. After all, prayer is nothing but taking God’s promises to him, and saying to him, ‘Do as thou hast said.’ Prayer is the promise utilized. A prayer which is not based on a promise has no true foundation.”
So cling to God’s promises. Pray boldly. Pray in faith. Pray with joy, knowing that your Father hears you and will answer according to His perfect wisdom, power, and love.
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Free eBook: A Short Book on Effective Prayer by Kevin Halloran
Book Recommendation: The Practice of Powerful and Effective Prayer by Charles Spurgeon
Video: The POWER of Praying the Scriptures! | Subscribe to YouTube channel