The Lord expects us to pray. Jesus says in Matthew 6:5, “And when you pray….” There is no if but only when you pray. For Christians, prayer is our life line to God. Coupled with reading the scriptures, prayer draws us nearer to the Lord and reveals His will to us.

Sometimes, though, our prayer lives are a struggle. We get distracted, lack discipline, or don’t know how to keep our prayer life growing. Hopefully, these quotes on prayer will inspire, motivate, encourage, and even teach you more so that your prayer life is rejuvenated!

What the Bible Says About Prayer

If we are going to read quotes on prayer, it makes since that the first and most trusted source should be the word of God. Here are scriptures to help motivate your prayer life:

• The Lord has heard my cry for mercy; the Lord accepts my prayer. Psalm 6:9 NIV
• The Lord is far from the wicked, but he hears the prayer of the righteous. Proverbs 15:29 NIV
• Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. Mark 11:24 NIV
• Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Romans 12:12 NIV
• Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. Philippians 4:6 NIV
• Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. Colossians 4:2 NIV

15 Powerful Quotes on Prayer

These are powerful quotes on prayer that I have collected over the years. I hope they inspire you as much as they have me. I have tried to include the resource or book when possible that the quote came from so you can check it out for yourself.

#1- “What is the reason that some believers are so much brighter and holier than others? I believe the difference, in nineteen cases out of twenty, arises from different habits about private prayer. I believe that those who are not eminently holy pray little, and those who are eminently holy pray much.” -J.C. Ryle from A Call to Prayer

#2- Pray as you think, Consciously embrace with your heart every gleam of light and truth that comes to your mind, Thank God for and pray about everything that strikes you powerfully! – John Owen

#3-“Prayer is not merely coming to God to ask something of Him. It is, above all, fellowship with God and being brought under the power of His holiness and love, until He takes possession of us and stamps our entire nature with the lowliness of Christ, which is the secret of all true worship.”
― Andrew Murray from Living a Prayerful Life

#4-“We are to pray in times of adversity, lest we become faithless and unbelieving. We are to pray in times of prosperity, lest we become boastful and proud. We are to pray in times of danger, lest we become fearful and doubting. We are to pray in times of security, lest we become self-sufficient.” – Billy Graham from Unto the Hills Devotional

#6- “The greater the difficulty to be overcome, the more will it be seen to the glory of God how much can be done by prayer and faith.”― George Muller from A Narrative of Some of the Lord’s Dealings with George Mueller

Personal note: If you have not read anything from or about George Muller, you are missing out. His life was powerfully transformed by Christ and he is one of my greatest heroes of the faith when it comes to prayer and dependence on God. You will be inspired by his life.

#7-I pray because I can’t help myself. I pray because I’m helpless. I pray because the need flows out of me all the time, waking and sleeping. It doesn’t change God. It changes me. -C.S. Lewis

#8-“Not to pray because you do not feel fit to pray is like saying, “I will not take medicine because I am too ill.” Pray for prayer: pray yourself, by the Spirit’s assistance, into a praying frame.”― Charles H. Spurgeon from Encouraged to Pray: Classic Sermons on Prayer

#9- “Prayer should not be regarded as a duty which must be performed, but rather as a privilege to be enjoyed, a rare delight that is always revealing some new beauty.” – E.M. Bounds from Power Through Prayer

#11-“So all through the Scriptures you will find that when believing prayer went up to God, the answer came down.”― D.L. Moody from Prevailing Prayer

#12- Prayer has mighty power to move mountains because the Holy Spirit is ready both to encourage our praying and to remove the mountains hindering us. Prayer has the power to change mountains into highways. -Wesley Duewel from Mighty Prevailing Prayer

Personal note-I linked to this book for purchase and quoted it twice. (The other links I provided were free reads.) The reason is I can’t recommend it enough. So good!!

#13-“When we pray, we bring that power to bear upon everything we are praying about, and we allow the power of God to work through our powerlessness. When we pray, we are humbling ourselves before God and saying, “I need Your presence and Your power, Lord. I can’t do this without You.” When we don’t pray, it’s like saying we have no need of anything outside of ourselves.”― Stormie Omartian from The Power of a Praying Parent

#14- What do we do if our prayers are not answered?
Persist — There is a time to keep praying. Daniel prayed for three solid weeks about a matter before God sent an answer (Daniel 10; Luke 18:1).

Desist — There’s a time to quit praying. Paul prayed three times for God to remove a thorn in his flesh. God did not give Paul what he asked, but God gave Paul something better than he asked (2 Corinthians 12:8-9).

-Adrian Rogers from The Privilege of Prayer

More Prayer Resources

Use these prayer resources to enhance your prayer life. There are encouraging studies on prayer, prayer guides, and daily prayer challenges. Let me know how the Lord uses them.

• How to Persevere in Prayer
• Prayers in the New Testament You Can Pray
• Prayers in the Old Testament You Can Pray
• Prayers to Pray in the Psalms
• Short Prayers for Children to Say
• Challenge: 31 Days of Praying for Our Children
• Praying for the Enemy
• 10 Resources to Keep Us Praying Over Our Kid’s School Year