Prayer is a deeply personal and spiritual practice that has been a part of human culture for centuries. Whether as an expression of gratitude, a plea for guidance, or a request for healing, prayer is a way for people to connect with a higher power and find solace in times of need. Throughout history, many great thinkers, philosophers, and spiritual leaders have shared their wisdom on the power of prayer.
In this article, we’ve compiled some of the most inspiring and thought-provoking quotes about prayer from a diverse range of sources. These quotes offer insight into the transformative nature of prayer, its benefits, and its meaning. Whether you’re seeking comfort or simply looking for inspiration, we hope these words will uplift and encourage you on your spiritual journey.
74 Quotes About Prayer
- “The more you pray, the less you’ll panic. The more you worship, the less you worry. You’ll feel more patient and less pressured.” – Rick Warren
2. “The wise man in the storm prays God not for safety from danger but for deliverance from fear.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
3. “Pray, and let God worry.” – Martin Luther
4. “A prayer is a chat with thy God.” – Toba Beta
5. “Persist in prayer, you shall prevail.” – Lailah Gifty Akita
6. “Prayer is not overcoming God’s reluctance. It is laying hold of His willingness.” – Martin Luther
7. “To be a Christian without prayer is no more possible than to be alive without breathing.” – Martin Luther King Jr
8. “God answers all prayers, but sometimes his answer is ‘no’.” – Dan Brown
9. “Do not pray for an easy life, pray for the strength to endure a difficult one” – Bruce Lee
10. “Prayer is not asking. It is a longing of the soul. It is daily admission of one’s weakness. It is better in prayer to have a heart without words than words without a heart.” – Mahatma Gandhi
11. “Pray like it all depends on God, but work like it all depends on you.” – Dave Ramsey
12. “The function of prayer is not to influence God, but rather to change the nature of the one who prays.” – Soren Kierkegaard
Moving Quotes about the Importance of Prayer
13. “Prayer and comfortable living are incompatible.” – Teresa of Ávila
14. “Forgive me my nonsense as I also forgive the nonsense of those who think they talk sense.” – Robert Frost
15. “If the only prayer you said was thank you, that would be enough.” – Meister Eckhart
16. “In prayer it is better to have a heart without words than words without a heart. ” – John Bunyan
17. “Those blessings are sweetest that are won with prayer and worn with thanks.” – Thomas Goodwin
18. “Goodness is about what you do. Not who you pray to.” – Terry Pratchett
19. “Go where your best prayers take you.” – Frederick Buechner
20. “The great thing in prayer is to feel that we are putting our supplications into the bosom of omnipotent love.” – Andrew Murray
21. “We have to pray with our eyes on God, not on the difficulties.” – Oswald Chambers
22. “Prayer is not asking. Prayer is putting oneself in the hands of God, at His disposition, and listening to His voice in the depth of our hearts.” – Mother Teresa
23. “May God break my heart so completely that the whole world falls in.” – Mother Teresa
Short quotes about prayer
24. “Prayer is the first thing, the second thing, the third thing necessary to a minister. Pray, then my dear brother; pray, pray, pray.” – Edward Payson
25. “If you want to protect me, prayer is just as powerful a weapon as that gun you carry.” – Karen Witemeyer
26. “Prayer is an acknowledgment that our need of God’s help is not partial but total.” – Alistair Begg
27. “Answered prayer is the interchange of love between the Father and His child.” – Andrew Murray
28. “You might not be able to change your situation but prayer can.” – Jerry Kinard
29. “A prayer couched in the words of the soul, is far more powerful than any ritual.” – Paulo Coelho
30. “Don’t forget to pray today because God did not forget to wake you up this morning.” – Oswald Chambers
31. “Prayer is not just asking. It is listening for God’s orders.” – Billy Graham
32. “A prayer that has no love in it does not work.” – Andrew Amaurick
33. “To pray is to change. All who have walked with God have viewed prayer as the main business of their lives.” – Richard J. Foster
Famous Quotes About Prayer
34. “You pray in your distress and in your need; would that you might pray also in the fullness of your joy and in your days of abundance.” – Kahill Gibran
35. “The day you learn to be publically specific in your prayer, that is the day you will discover power.” – David Wilkerson
36. “Prayer will make a man cease from sin, or sin will entice a man to cease from prayer.” – John Bunyan
37. “Sometimes the best answers to prayer are the ones God doesn’t answer.” – Robin Jones Gunn
38. “Prayer is an insurance policy that you can never lapse on.” – The Prolific Penman
39. “Pray, hope, and don’t worry. Worry is useless. God is merciful and will hear your prayer.” – Padre Pio
40. “Prayer is our yearning for God, the cry of our poverty and misery, stretching out toward the throne of His divine mercy.” – Emmanuel D’Alzon
41. “The prayer of a pure heart never goes in vain!” – Dada J. P. Vaswani
42. “Perfect prayer does not consist in many words, silent remembering and pure intention raises the heart to that supreme Power.” – Amit Ray
Inspirational Quotes About Prayer
43. “Prayer is the sign of your weakness. Rely on your inner strength. You will be the winner.” – Amit Ray
44. “Remember that you can pray any time, anywhere. Washing dishes, digging ditches, working in the office, in the shop, on the athletic field, even in prison – you can pray and know God hears!” – Billy Graham
45. “Don’t pray when it rains if you don’t pray when the sun shines.” – Satchel Paige
46. “The value of consistent prayer is not that [God] will hear us, but that we will hear Him.” – William McGill
47. “When a prayer doesn’t work, you rephrase it.” – Misba
48. “What we prioritize in our prayers reveals what we ultimately adore.” – Prasanth Jonathan
49. “Prayer is thinking deeply about something in the presence of God.” – Wayne Cordeiro
50. “You know the value of prayer: it is precious beyond all price. Never, never neglect it.” – Sir Thomas Buxton
51. “For me, prayer is a surge of the heart; it is a simple look turned toward heaven, it is a cry of recognition and of love, embracing both trial and joy.” – St. Therese of Lisieux
52. “Prayer is telephoning to God, and intuition is God telephoning to you.” – Florence Scovel Shinn
Great Quotes About Prayer
53. “Prayer is beyond any question the highest activity of the human soul. Man is at his greatest and highest when upon his knees he comes face to face with God.” – Martyn Lloyd-Jones
54. “Prayer to God helps us to fight every difficulty.” – Santosh Kumar
55. “I have questioned God sometimes whether prayers have gone unanswered. But answered prayer is still harder to believe.” – David Wilkerson
56. “Prayer means that, in some unique way, we believe we’re invited into a relationship with someone who hears us when we speak in silence.” – Anne Lamott
57. “Prayer without study would be empty. Study without prayer would be blind.” – Karl Barth
58. “Where there is much prayer, there will be much of the Spirit; where there is much of the Spirit, there will be ever-increasing prayer.” – Andrew Murray
59. “Prayer is the center of the Christian life. It is the only necessary thing. It is living with God in the here and now.” – Henri J.M. Nouwen
60. “Prayer is more relational than duty or obligation” – Dr. Lucas D. Shallua
61. “Pray in bad times and good times. Prayer helps you keep your balance.” – Gift Gugu Mona
62. “A day without prayer is a day without blessing, and a life without prayer is a life without power.” – Edwin Harvey
Encouraging Quotes About Prayer
63. “I’ve found the most potent prayer is always a prayer of gratitude and thanks as opposed to a prayer asking for what we want.” – Lisa Manyon
64. “Whoever prays beholds heavenly blessings.” – Lailah Gifty Akita
65. “The only difference between a wish and a prayer is that you’re at the mercy of the universe for the first, and you’ve got some help with the second.” – Jodi Picoult
66. “Prayer is the first defensive and best offense.” – Craig D. Lounsbrough
67. “Prayer is the inner bath of love into which the soul plunges itself.” – St. John Vianney
68. “We often think of prayer as a means to an end. Prayer is the goal.” – Francis Chan
69. “The single most important piece of advice about prayer is one word: Begin!”- Peter Kreeft
70. “A prayer prayed from the sidelines never stays on the sidelines.” – Craig D. Lounsbrough
71. “You can do more than pray after you have prayed but you cannot do more than pray until you have prayed.” – S.D. Gordon
72. “Prayer bends the omnipotence of heaven to your desire. Prayer moves the hand that moves the world.” – Charles H. Spurgeon
73. “Motive behind our prayer is more important than the words.” – Prasanth Jonathan
74. “If you believe in prayer at all, expect God to hear you. If you do not expect, you will not have. God will not hear you unless you believe He will hear you; but if you believe He will, He will be as good as your faith.” – Charles Spurgeon
Additional Read: 10 Meaningful Benefits of Prayer
For many people, prayer is a way to find comfort and peace in times of stress, anxiety, or sorrow. It can also provide a sense of connection with something greater than oneself and a feeling of purpose and meaning in life.
The act of prayer has been studied by researchers, and some studies have shown that prayer may have physical and psychological benefits, such as reducing stress and anxiety, improving mood, and enhancing overall well-being. However, the exact mechanisms of how prayer works and its effectiveness are still not fully understood.
Different religions and cultures have their own unique traditions and practices surrounding prayer. For example, in Christianity, prayer is often done in the form of reciting specific words, such as the Lord’s Prayer, while in Buddhism, prayer can involve chanting or repeating mantras.
Despite the differences in how prayer is practiced, the act of prayer is often viewed as a universal human experience that transcends cultural and religious boundaries. It offers a way for people to connect with something greater than themselves, find peace in difficult times, and feel a sense of hope and purpose in life.