Prayer as asking God

God’s people are commanded to bring their requests to him

Philippians 4:6 KJV 1900

Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.

See also 1 Ch 16:11; Mt 7:7; Jn 16:24; Eph 6:18–20; 1 Th 5:17; Jas 5:13

Prayer for deliverance from difficulty

Psalm 4:1 KJV 1900

Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness: Thou hast enlarged me when I was in distress; Have mercy upon me, and hear my prayer.

See also Ps 40:2–3; Jon 2:1–3; Ac 12:5

Prayer for deliverance from enemies

Psalm 17:8–9 KJV 1900

Keep me as the apple of the eye, Hide me under the shadow of thy wings, From the wicked that oppress me, From my deadly enemies, who compass me about.

See also 2 Ki 19:9–11; 2 Ch 14:11

Prayers of individuals in time of crisis

Jacob’s prayer

Genesis 32:9–12 KJV 1900

And Jacob said, O God of my father Abraham, and God of my father Isaac, the Lord which saidst unto me, Return unto thy country, and to thy kindred, and I will deal well with thee: I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies, and of all the truth, which thou hast shewed unto thy servant; for with my staff I passed over this Jordan; and now I am become two bands. Deliver me, I pray thee, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau: for I fear him, lest he will come and smite me, and the mother with the children. And thou saidst, I will surely do thee good, and make thy seed as the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for multitude.

David’s prayers

Psalm 28:1–9 KJV 1900

Unto thee will I cry, O Lord my rock; be not silent to me: Lest, if thou be silent to me, I become like them that go down into the pit. Hear the voice of my supplications, when I cry unto thee, When I lift up my hands toward thy holy oracle. Draw me not away with the wicked, and with the workers of iniquity, Which speak peace to their neighbours, but mischief is in their hearts. Give them according to their deeds, And according to the wickedness of their endeavours: Give them after the work of their hands; Render to them their desert. Because they regard not the works of the Lord, Nor the operation of his hands, He shall destroy them, and not build them up. Blessed be the Lord, because he hath heard the voice of my supplications. The Lord is my strength and my shield; My heart trusted in him, and I am helped: Therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; And with my song will I praise him. The Lord is their strength, And he is the saving strength of his anointed. Save thy people, And bless thine inheritance: Feed them also, and lift them up for ever.

See also Ps 4:1; Ps 5:1–3; Ps 30:8–10; Ps 142:1–7

Elijah’s prayer

1 Kings 19:4 KJV 1900

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 away my life; for I am not better than my fathers.

Jeremiah’s prayer

See also Je 15:15–18

Jesus Christ’s prayers

Matthew 26:39 KJV 1900

And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.

Individual petition to God in prayer

Individual prayer for guidance

Genesis 24:12–14 KJV 1900

And he said, O Lord God of my master Abraham, I pray thee, send me good speed this day, and shew kindness unto my master Abraham. Behold, I stand here by the well of water; and the daughters of the men of the city come out to draw water: And let it come to pass, that the damsel to whom I shall say, Let down thy pitcher, I pray thee, that I may drink; and she shall say, Drink, and I will give thy camels drink also: let the same be she that thou hast appointed for thy servant Isaac; and thereby shall I know that thou hast shewed kindness unto my master.

See also Jdg 1:1–2; Jdg 6:36–40; 1 Sa 14:41; 2 Sa 2:1; 1 Ch 14:14–15

Individual prayer for healing

2 Kings 20:1–11 KJV 1900

In those days was Hezekiah sick unto death. And the prophet Isaiah the son of Amoz came to him, and said unto him, Thus saith the Lord, Set thine house in order; for thou shalt die, and not live. Then he turned his face to the wall, and prayed unto the Lord, saying, I beseech thee, O Lord, remember now how I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart, and have done that which is good in thy sight. And Hezekiah wept sore. And it came to pass, afore Isaiah was gone out into the middle court, that the word of the Lord came to him, saying, Turn again, and tell Hezekiah the captain of my people, Thus saith the Lord, the God of David thy father, I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears: behold, I will heal thee: on the third day thou shalt go up unto the house of the Lord. And I will add unto thy days fifteen years; and I will deliver thee and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria; and I will defend this city for mine own sake, and for my servant David’s sake. And Isaiah said, Take a lump of figs. And they took and laid it on the boil, and he recovered. And Hezekiah said unto Isaiah, What shall be the sign that the Lord will heal me, and that I shall go up into the house of the Lord the third day? And Isaiah said, This sign shalt thou have of the Lord, that the Lord will do the thing that he hath spoken: shall the shadow go forward ten degrees, or go back ten degrees? And Hezekiah answered, It is a light thing for the shadow to go down ten degrees: nay, but let the shadow return backward ten degrees. And Isaiah the prophet cried unto the Lord: and he brought the shadow ten degrees backward, by which it had gone down in the dial of Ahaz.

Individual prayer for the birth of a child

1 Samuel 1:10–11 KJV 1900

And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed unto the Lord, and wept sore. And she vowed a vow, and said, O Lord of hosts, if thou wilt indeed look on the affliction of thine handmaid, and remember me, and not forget thine handmaid, but wilt give unto thine handmaid a man child, then I will give him unto the Lord all the days of his life, and there shall no rasor come upon his head.

See also Ge 25:21; Ge 30:17

Corporate petition to God

Corporate prayer for deliverance

Exodus 2:23 KJV 1900

And it came to pass in process of time, that the king of Egypt died: and the children of Israel sighed by reason of the bondage, and they cried, and their cry came up unto God by reason of the bondage.

See also Nu 20:15–16; Dt 26:6–8; Jdg 3:9; Jdg 4:3; Jdg 6:7–10; 1 Sa 12:8

Corporate prayer for restoration

Ps 44:23–26; Ps 79:8–9; Ps 80:4–7; Ps 85:4–7

Corporate prayer for protection, especially at times of crisis

Ezra 8:21–23 KJV 1900

Then I proclaimed a fast there, at the river of Ahava, that we might afflict ourselves before our God, to seek of him a right way for us, and for our little ones, and for all our substance. For I was ashamed to require of the king a band of soldiers and horsemen to help us against the enemy in the way: because we had spoken unto the king, saying, The hand of our God is upon all them for good that seek him; but his power and his wrath is against all them that forsake him. So we fasted and besought our God for this: and he was intreated of us.

See also 2 Ch 20:12–13; Ezr 10:1; Es 4:16; Ps 74:18–23; Da 2:17–18

The first Christians prayed together when they met

Acts 1:13–14 KJV 1900

And when they were come in, they went up into an upper room, where abode both Peter, and James, and John, and Andrew, Philip, and Thomas, Bartholomew, and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon Zelotes, and Judas the brother of James. These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brethren.

See also Ac 2:42; Ac 2:46–47; Ac 16:13; Ac 16:16; Ac 20:36; Ac 21:5

The first Christians prayed together at times of crisis or important decisions

When threatened with punishment

Acts 4:24–31 KJV 1900

And when they heard that, they lifted up their voice to God with one accord, and said, Lord, thou art God, which hast made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all that in them is: Who by the mouth of thy servant David hast said, Why did the heathen rage, and the people imagine vain things? The kings of the earth stood up, and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord, and against his Christ. For of a truth against thy holy child Jesus, whom thou hast anointed, both Herod, and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles, and the people of Israel, were gathered together, For to do whatsoever thy hand and thy counsel determined before to be done. And now, Lord, behold their threatenings: and grant unto thy servants, that with all boldness they may speak thy word, By stretching forth thine hand to heal; and that signs and wonders may be done by the name of thy holy child Jesus. And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness.

See also Ac 12:5; Ac 12:12

When Barnabas and Saul were sent off by the church at Antioch

Acts 13:3 KJV 1900

And when they had fasted and prayed, and laid their hands on them, they sent them away.

When Paul and Silas experienced persecution

Acts 16:25 KJV 1900

And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them.

Prayers for mercy and grace

Ps 143:1; Heb 4:16

See also 2 Ch 6:18–19; Ps 130:1–2; Mt 20:30–31