Sometimes there’s so much in our mind that we want to pray for making it hard to focus on one thing. Or, sometimes we’re clueless as to what to pray for. Here’s a list of 9 things to pray about, with little prompts on how to talk to God about each of those subjects. Prayer is an incredibly important aspect of our relationship with the Lord, so don’t get bogged down by the details. God intended prayer to be a time for us to talk to God and hang out with Him. Consider having a piece of paper or a journal to write down what prays to help maintain focus as well as see when and how God answers prayers.
List of What to Pray for
- Future
With so much unknown about the future, it’s comforting to know that you can give it to God and trust in His leading. Talk to Him about your future career, spouse, children, college plans, etc. You can pray about your test tomorrow or to give you peace when you near the end of your life. God wants to hear your heart’s desires.
- Those Who Don’t Know
It seems like the number of people who don’t know the Lord yet increases more and more everyday. Lift these people up to the Lord. You can ask Him to reveal Himself to someone you know and love personally, or to a group of people you’ve never met and may never meet. There are people all over the world who don’t yet know the Lord. Pray for them and ask God to reveal himself to them. Ask Him how He wants to use you to draw people closer to Him.
- Leaders: Government, business and church leaders including our president
Pray that the Lord would give His wisdom to those in leadership positions, whether they believe in the Lord or not. Ask God to guide them and bring them clarity, especially when facing difficult decisions. Pray that they would act out of the best interests of the community they lead and serve rather than out of their own selfish desires.
- People who Guide Our Lives: Teachers, co-workers, our boss, couches, principals
Think of the people you admire or appreciate the most in life. Lift them up in prayer. Thank the Lord for all the people He’s placed in your life that support you, guide you, love and protect you. Thank Him for how they are helping you grow. If they do not know the Lord, ask Him to make Himself known to them so they can have an even greater impact on the lives of those they influence.
- Patience, Strength and Peace in Hard Times
Everyone experiences difficult times throughout their life. Ask the Lord to give you an extra measure of patience, strength and peace when you’re experiencing difficulty. May He give you the patience and strength to endure. Ask Him to help you know that He is with you during those hard times. Ask Him to give you confirmation if and when you’re making a difficult decision that you’re heading in the right direction. May His confirmation bring you peace.
- People and Resources in Life That Help You Grow in Your Faith
God has placed a lot of people in your life that help challenge your faith and teach you about Jesus. Thank God for your pastor, church leaders, youth group leader, small group leader, Bible study leader, mentor, etc.
- Friends & Family
Your friends and family have helped mold you into the person you are today. They inspire, challenge and walk with you. They support you when life is hard, love you when you make mistakes, celebrate with you during life’s victories, make you laugh and laugh with you. They help you find peace and rest in the midst of life’s chaos. They help you grow closer to God and have become an essential part of your everyday life.
- Protection from harm and the spiritual forces of evil in this world (Ephesians 6:12)
Satan loves seeing us fail and give up on our faith, therefore it’s important to guard ourselves against his evil forces. Ask the Lord to protect and guard you from His evil schemes. This doesn’t mean that we will walk freely, because God will still test us. So, when you’re experiencing a trial, turn to God. Pray that He will provide you with reminders of His promises and truth. He will never forsake you nor forget you. He is with you always, and if you remain in Him, Satan will never prevail.
- God Would Make You Fruitful
Pray that God will use you to reveal His character to others. Ask Him to help you set aside your selfish desires and instead pursue self-control. Ask Him to give you the strength to love others, serving them with humility and compassion. Ask Him to give you patience with those who are frustrating and peace during times of trouble. May God bring you joy, even in the midst of pain. May He guide you in confidence because you trust in His faithfulness above your own abilities. Ask the Lord to remind you of His goodness and gentleness during all situations.
God Reveals What to Pray for
When you’re uncertain about what to pray, you can use this list, or you can just ask God what He would like you to pray about. Often, He will place an idea or a person on your heart or bring something to mind. This is typically what He wants you pray for. Follow His leading. You’ll find that He might bring more and more to mind as you spend time in silent prayer with Him. Here’s a list of scripture verses about prayer as well to use as a reference and a guide.
Free Download on What to Pray for
Download this document of 9 things to pray about. Tuck it away in your prayer journal to reference when you’re uncertain as to what you should pray about.
