Prayers of the Bible
Well-known prayers drawn straight from Scripture, with their passages and, where they belong to it, the season of the church calendar they're tied to. Every prayer here can be read aloud.
Prayer Guide
How to pray, according to the Bible
Scripture doesn't demand one fixed posture for prayer — it shows many, each carrying its own meaning. What matters most, throughout, is honesty before God rather than the position of the body.
1
Clasped or folded hands. A traditional posture of focus and humility, still the most familiar image of prayer today, helping to quiet the hands and the mind together.
2
Kneeling. Daniel "kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed" (Daniel 6:10). Solomon knelt before the whole assembly at the Temple's dedication (1 Kings 8:54). Kneeling is a posture of humility before God.
3
Lifting up hands. Paul writes of the desire that "men pray every where, lifting up holy hands" (1 Timothy 2:8) — an open, reaching posture, often used in praise.
4
Bowing the head, or the whole body. Abraham's servant "bowed down his head, and worshipped the LORD" (Genesis 24:26) — a simple posture of reverence, available anywhere.
5
Withdrawing to a quiet place. Jesus himself made a habit of it: "he withdrew himself into the wilderness, and prayed" (Luke 5:16). Jesus also taught, "when thou prayest, enter into thy closet... and pray to thy Father which is in secret" (Matthew 6:6).
6
Using a pattern. When the disciples asked Jesus how to pray, He gave them words to use — the Lord's Prayer (Matthew 6:9-13). It's entirely faithful to pray using another's words, including the many written out on this page.
Whatever the posture, Scripture keeps returning to the same instruction: pray honestly, pray often, and don't worry about getting the words perfect. "Pray without ceasing" (1 Thessalonians 5:17) is less about constant formal prayer and more about keeping an open, ongoing conversation with God through the day.