Discover powerful sermons about prayer plus Bible verses and quotes to inspire faithful devotion and supplication to God!
The power of prayer is in confessing our sins and aligning our desires with God. Prayer is simply communicating with God. Whether you are looking to learn more about prayer or are preparing to preach a sermon on prayer, we have collected some of our favorite sermons on prayer below.
God tells us in Scripture - "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 5:16.
Pastor Adrian Rogers puts it this way: "When you are surrendered to the will of God, focused on the Word of God, then the Holy Spirit begins to pray in you and through you. He energizes, motivates, and guides your prayer. One of the greatest lessons I've learned about prayer is this: the prayer that gets to Heaven is the prayer that starts in Heaven. Prayer is the Holy Spirit finding a desire in the heart of the Father, putting that desire in our heart, then sending it back to Heaven in the power of the cross. The prayer that gets to Heaven is the prayer that starts in Heaven. Our part is just to close the circuit."
If you're planning to give a sermon about prayer, browse these Bible verses and Christian quotes to inspire you or reference:
Scriptures for Sermons on Prayer
The Lord's Prayer - Matthew 6:5-15
And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But 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. And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. Pray then like this:
“Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come, your 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 lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil."
For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
Encouragement and Prayer - Philippians 4:4-9
Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; 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.
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.
Benediction on Prayer - 1 Thessalonians 5:12-22
We ask you, brothers, to respect those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, and to esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Be at peace among yourselves. And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all. See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone. Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophecies, but test everything; hold fast what is good. Abstain from every form of evil.
Quotes about Prayer for Sermons
"Whether we realize it or not, prayer is the encounter of God's thirst with ours. God thirsts that we may thirst for him." ~ St. Augustine
"Pray as though everything depended on God. Work as though everything depended on you." ~ St. Augustine
"Groanings which cannot be uttered are often prayers which cannot be refused." ~ Spurgeon
"Any concern too small to be turned into a prayer is too small to be made into a burden" ~ Corrie Ten Boom
"An unschooled man who knows how to [pray to] the Lord has learned far more than the man with the highest education who does not know how to [pray]." ~ Charles Stanley
"When you read the Gospels, Christ speaks to you; when you pray, you are speaking to Him…. The Bible should be read not just for analysis, but as an immediate dialogue with the living Word Himself, to feed our love for Christ, to kindle our hearts with prayer, and to provide us with guidance in our personal life." ~ Tikhon of Zadonsk
"In everything they (the Apostles) did, they thought of God and lived in constant devotion to Him. This spiritual state was their unceasing prayer." ~ Basil the Great
20 Powerful Sermons on Prayer
We serve a God of miracles. He is mighty to save and to heal. May these sermons on prayer strengthen your faith today!
1. How to and How Not to Pray - Pastor Greg Laurie, Harvest
Sometimes the most practical advice is a mixture of things to do, and things NOT to do. Wednesday on A NEW BEGINNING, Pastor Greg Laurie reveals those things we should avoid in our prayer lives. It’s relevant insight based on what we call The Lord’s Prayer. Tune in! Click HERE to Listen.
2. Prayer for the Presence of God - Pastor J.D. Greer, Summit Life
You can know plenty of facts about your favorite celebrity, but that’s completely different than knowing them personally. And the same is true of God. So how do we move from memorizing facts about our Creator to really experiencing his presence? That’s our subject as Pastor J.D. continues our series called Mystery and Clarity. Click HERE to Listen
3. The Prayer of Surrender - Pastor Rick Warren, Daily Hope
Connecting with God is the starting point to revival, renewal, and restoration. In this series, Pastor Rick looks at seven phrases in the Lord’s prayer to help you discover what it means to be connected to God and to one another.
Uncontrollable circumstances, uncooperative people, and unexplainable pain are all sources of stress. In this message series, Pastor Rick looks at the Lord’s Prayer and points to the only solution for stress: total surrender to God. Every day you must decide who will be in control of your life—you or God. In this message, Pastor Rick encourages you to pray, “God, I’m giving up control because only you can control the things in my life that are out of control.” Click HERE to Listen.
4. Getting Prayer Right - Dr. Erwin Lutzer, Running to Win
Prayer can be a great mystery, and many wonder if God really listens. Jesus left us a pattern for prayer, an outline of how we are to approach God. In this message, we sit with the disciples and learn from the Lord’s Prayer. Click HERE to Listen.
5. How to Pray - Dr. James Boice, The Bible Study Hour
Do your prayers bring you into the presence of God? Most of us would answer, “not always.” Yet Jesus taught that we’re to pray only when we’re aware of the Lord’s presence! What, then, is the answer to this dilemma? Join Dr. James Boice as he explores the often-misunderstood subject of prayer and shows us how sinful man should approach a holy God. Click HERE to Listen.
6. The Prayer of a Righteous Person - Pastor Mike Fabarez, Focal Point
When we look at God's standards for behavior, not one of us measures up! But since that's the case, why does the Bible refer to some people as righteous? Today on Focal Point, Pastor Mike Fabarez solves this puzzling conundrum. He's challenging us to pursue righteousness for the sake of our prayers! Click HERE to Listen.
7. Guidelines for Personal Meditation - Dr. Charles Stanley, InTouch Ministries
Meditation isn’t just for the super-spiritual. In fact, the more you’re tired, stressed, and filled with the world's cares, the more you need to meditate upon God. Most Christians are aware of the importance of prayer. But many don’t realize the profound and dramatic results that can come from the practice of meditative prayer. It’s much more than a quick request or word of thanks; it can truly change your life. Click HERE To Listen.
8. What Every Christian Needs to Know About Prayer - Pastor Greg Laurie, Harvest
To some, prayer seems mysterious and intimidating. In his sermon, A NEW BEGINNING, Pastor Greg Laurie says we’ll feel differently about prayer once we realize just how much God WANTS us to come to Him! Tune in for a meaningful study from Pastor Greg’s “Essentials” series. Click HERE to Listen.
9. Make Your Voice Heard in Heaven - Dr. James Dobson, Family Talk Weekends
Prayer is the breath of the soul. That’s the contention of U.S. Senate Chaplain Barry Black, author of "Make Your Voice Heard in Heaven: How to Pray with Power." In the Lord’s prayer, Jesus used the word "Abba" for His Heavenly Father, which means "Daddy." As people of faith, we are God's children, and because of His love, He is our greatest encourager. That’s why God wants us to make our voices heard in Heaven through continual prayer. Click HERE to Listen.
10. Why Our Prayers Are Unanswered - Dr. Charles Stanley, Turning Point
In this message, Dr. Stanley reveals what’s going on behind the scenes. And while we won’t ever see the full picture this side of heaven, we can trust that God always hears His children and is faithfully conforming us to the image of His Son.
11. The Principles of Prayer - Dr. Adrian Rogers, Love Worth Finding
It’s a mystery—that God, who knows what we need, tells us to seek Him in prayer for what we need. Prayer is the Christian’s greatest privilege—but for most of us, our greatest failure. Don’t miss this classic message unlocking the mysteries of prayer. Click HERE to Listen.
12. Prayer and Fasting Minus All the Pizzazz - Chuck Swindoll, Insight for Living
In the previous sermon, Pastor Chuck Swindoll discussed Jesus’ teaching of how not to express our devotion to God. Now, we turn our attention to Jesus’ directives for genuine piety.
True piety, according to Jesus, requires zero pizzazz and begins with a pure heart and right intentions before moving into the proper method of execution. Sharpen your understanding of authentic Christianity and deepen your prayer life with Pastor Chuck’s sermon on Matthew 6:9-18. Click HERE to Listen
13. How to Pray a Breakthrough Prayer - Pastor Rick Warren, Daily Hope
There’s one common ingredient found in people who experience breakthroughs: They all passionately seek after God. In this broadcast series, Pastor Rick teaches you how to supercharge your prayer life and overcome obstacles. When everything seems to go wrong, it’s time to pray a breakthrough prayer. Join Pastor Rick as he encourages you to turn your attention to God, keeping your focus on him and not your problems. Breakthrough prayers always include gratitude—thanking God in advance for his blessings. In this broadcast, Pastor Rick explains how important it is to have an attitude of gratitude when you pray. Click HERE to Listen
14. A Picture of Prayer - Dr. Jeff Schreve, From His Heart
Do you long for closeness and depth in your relationship with the Lord, but aren’t sure how to make it happen? The answer is simple, yet hard at the same time: prayer. In this insightful message, Pastor Jeff Schreve walks us through several key elements to prayers that honor the Lord and will draw us closer to Him as we practice coming into His presence with humble and vulnerable hearts each day. Click HERE to Listen
15. The Holy Spirit of Prayer - Stuart and Jill Briscoe, Telling the Truth
When we pray, most of us spend a lot of time praying for ourselves, our family, and our friends. But did you know there is a lot more that God wants us to pray about? In this message, Jill uses the story of the little pot of oil to explain how we can let the Holy Spirit guide us in our prayer life so that God can work in our lives. Click HERE to Listen
16. Communicating with God in the Last Days - James Kaddis, Light on the Hill
We’re talking about prayer today and how to be effective in our prayer lives just as Daniel was. We all have room for growth in this area. We know we should pray, but don’t do it nearly enough. And sometimes our prayers are way off track. Today, pastor James encourages a prayer life that is always motivated by God's Word and grounded in God's will. Click HERE to Listen
17. The Power of Prayer - Dr. Jeff Schreve, From His Heart
How would you like to have power in your prayers and see your prayers go to a whole new level? Is it possible? Yes! In this message from Pastor Jeff Schreve, discover how to energize your prayer life with four directives that are found in Paul’s letter to the Thessalonians. Click HERE to Listen
18. Praying For Your Family - Jill Briscoe, Telling the Truth for Women
It’s easy to get discouraged when we’re praying for a family member or a loved one and we don’t see God answering our prayers. In those times, we might tend to tell God how and when He should answer the prayer instead of having faith that His answer to our prayers might be in a way or at a time that is different than we imagine—but better! In this message, Jill gives us the example of Elijah, the widow, and her son at Zarephath. Sharing her own personal stories, Jill encourages us to keep praying for our loved ones in any circumstances. Click HERE to listen
19. What is the Purpose of Prayer? - Dr. Andrew Farley, the Grace Message
If God already has a plan, then what is the purpose of prayer? Why do so many people bring tithing into the new covenant? What does it mean to reflect the Lord’s glory in 2 Corinthians 3? Isn’t tithing still a benchmark or starting place for giving? Click HERE to Listen.
20. Live in Prayer, Live in Peace - Jack Graham, PowerPoint
We live in such uncertain times when so many are plagued by fear and anxiety. Join us for today’s PowerPoint as Pastor Jack Graham preaches a message from Philippians 4. God has a prescription for our pain and our worry and it begins and ends with prayer. Click HERE to Listen.
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