When You Pray

What this book is

Jesus did not say “if you pray” but “when you pray.” This handbook is a simple tool to encourage you to grow your prayer life — to see prayer not so much as something we do as a way of life, a life pattern of loving, trusting, and relying on God in our waking, rising, breathing, and living. Prayer is the heartbeat of communion with God, and communion with God is the heartbeat of the Christian life.

It opens with the why, when, where, what, and how of prayer — including a simple plan for reading through the Psalms and Proverbs every month and the Gospels several times a year — and then fills its pages with Scripture-based prayers and prayer aids: starting points, primers, and “booster shots” for your own time with God. Meant to be used alongside, never in place of, daily listening to God in His Word.

What is inside

• How to Use This Book
• Why, When, Where, What, How of Prayer
• A daily Scripture reading plan (Psalms, Proverbs, Gospels, Old and New Testaments)
• Scripture-based prayers for every part of life
• Morning and evening prayers
• Prayers of praise, confession, thanksgiving, and intercession
• Prayer lists and aids for praying for others

Scripture in this book

This book quotes or cites Scripture about 955 times, from 50 books of the Bible. Each reference opens in the ESV at Blue Letter Bible.

Genesis (11 references)

1:1, 1:14-18, 1:26, 1:27
3:15
4:26
50:20

Exodus (10 references)

3:12
12:7
15:2, 15:9, 15:11, 15:26
20:3-5
33:14

Numbers (3 references)

6:24-26
Numbers 13
23:19

Deuteronomy (13 references)

6:4, 6:5, 6:6-7
7:9
10:21
12:7
28:2-13, 28:3-6, 28:13
30:6

Joshua (5 references)

1:8, 1:9

Judges (1 reference)

6:24

1 Samuel (2 references)

2:2
17:47

1 Kings (1 reference)

3:9

1 Chronicles (2 references)

16:8, 16:28

2 Chronicles (5 references)

7:14
20:15

Nehemiah (5 references)

1:6-7
8:10

Job (3 references)

1:21
11:7-9
12:23-25

Psalms (97 references)

1:1-3, 1:3
2:10-11
3:3
4:8
5:12
8:4
9:1
16:1, 16:8, 16:11
18:2
19:1, 19:3, 19:14
22:3
23:1, 23:3, 23:6
27:4
28:7
31:1, 31:15
32:8
36:8
37:23
42:1
43:5
51:7, 51:10, 51:10-13, 51:17
55:22
56:3, 56:8
59:9
63:5
75:1
78:35
86:10
91:1-16, 91:11
Psalms 96
97:12
Psalms 100
Psalms 103
107:9, 107:20
110:4
Psalms 115
118:1, 118:6, 118:24
119:11, 119:24, 119:63, 119:105
121:2
127:3-5
132:16
139:6-10, 139:13-16, 139:14, 139:23, 139:23-24
145:3
147:5
149:4
150:6

Proverbs (34 references)

1:7
2:1-8
3:1-2, 3:5-6, 3:5-6:122, 3:5-7, 3:6, 3:8
4:18, 4:18-19
10:5
11:14
15:1
16:9
18:12, 18:22
19:23
20:12, 20:27
21:1
22:4, 22:6, 22:23-24
28:1

Isaiah (33 references)

1:18
2:4
6:1-5, 6:1-6, 6:5
9:6, 9:6-7, 9:7
26:3
40:31
41:10
43:1-2
45:5
50:4
53:5, 53:5-6
55:8-9, 55:11
58:9, 58:11
59:19
61:10
63:7
64:6, 64:8

Jeremiah (9 references)

1:5
15:16
17:14
20:13
29:11
32:17

Lamentations (2 references)

3:22, 3:23

Ezekiel (4 references)

11:19
22:30
36:25, 36:27

Daniel (2 references)

2:20
3:8-30

Joel (1 reference)

3:12

Micah (1 reference)

4:3

Habakkuk (1 reference)

1:12

Zechariah (1 reference)

14:16

Malachi (2 references)

3:6, 3:6-7

Matthew (91 references)

4:4, 4:17, 4:19
5:6, 5:8, 5:10-11, 5:11-12, 5:14, 5:14-16, 5:16, 5:17, 5:21-30, 5:23-25, 5:24, 5:28-30, 5:37, 5:44, 5:44-46, 5:48
6:3, 6:5, 6:5-13, 6:6, 6:8, 6:13, 6:19, 6:19-21, 6:25-33, 6:33, 6:34
7:6, 7:11, 7:12, 7:13-14, 7:15, 7:15-16
9:37-38, 9:38
10:8, 10:16, 10:17, 10:28
11:15, 11:28, 11:28-30
16:24
18:1-35, 18:10, 18:21-22, 18:21-35
19:4-6, 19:14, 19:19
20:26-28
21:13
22:36-40, 22:37-38, 22:39, 22:39-40
24:35, 24:42-44
25:23, 25:40
26:26-28, 26:41
28:18-20, 28:19, 28:19-20, 28:20

Mark (5 references)

8:35-36
10:8
11:25
16:15, 16:17

Luke (26 references)

1:33, 1:51
2:10-12
3:11
4:16-21
6:21, 6:28
9:1, 9:23-24, 9:23-25
10:2, 10:19, 10:20
11:1, 11:5
12:2, 12:4, 12:15
17:5-6, 17:7-10
18:1-8
23:32-34
24:27, 24:49

John (69 references)

1:1, 1:1-6, 1:12, 1:14
3:3, 3:5-7, 3:16, 3:16-18, 3:30
4:20-21
5:14, 5:24, 5:44
6:35
7:18
8:12
10:9, 10:10, 10:11, 10:16, 10:18
14:1, 14:1-6, 14:6, 14:8-9, 14:9-11, 14:15, 14:26
15:4-5, 15:5, 15:16
16:13-14, 16:13-15, 16:20-24, 16:33
17:15, 17:17, 17:23, 17:26
19:28-30, 19:30
21:15-16

Acts (22 references)

1:4, 1:7-8, 1:8, 1:11
2:17, 2:33, 2:39, 2:47
4:29
5:41
Acts 9
13:22
16:14, 16:31
17:26, 17:28

Romans (104 references)

1:2-3, 1:16, 1:16-17
3:10, 3:21-23, 3:22, 3:23
4:16, 4:20-21
5:1, 5:3, 5:8
6:2, 6:11, 6:12, 6:13, 6:17, 6:23
7:18, 7:24
8:1, 8:4, 8:6, 8:13, 8:14, 8:26-27, 8:28, 8:28-29, 8:31, 8:35, 8:37, 8:37-39, 8:38-39
10:1, 10:9, 10:9-10, 10:14
11:33
12:1, 12:1-2, 12:2, 12:11-12, 12:12, 12:12-13, 12:16, 12:18
13:1
14:1, 14:13, 14:19, 14:23
15:13
16:17

1 Corinthians (31 references)

3:6, 3:18
5:21
6:9-10, 6:11, 6:17, 6:20
7:2-4, 7:14
10:13, 10:31, 10:32
11:24-26, 11:28
12:27
14:20, 14:40
15:3, 15:31, 15:33, 15:57, 15:58
16:2

2 Corinthians (25 references)

1:18-20
2:7-11, 2:14
4:4, 4:18
5:17, 5:18, 5:20
6:14-18, 6:17
8:12
9:6-7, 9:7
10:4, 10:4-5
11:30
12:9-10
2 Corinthians 113

Galatians (22 references)

1:4
2:20
3:13, 3:22
4:6
5:16, 5:22, 5:22-23, 5:23, 5:25, 5:26
6:1, 6:2, 6:6, 6:9

Ephesians (62 references)

1:6, 1:8, 1:13, 1:22
2:7, 2:8-9
3:16, 3:18, 3:18-19, 3:20
4:1-3, 4:6, 4:15, 4:24, 4:26, 4:26-27, 4:27, 4:29, 4:30, 4:32
5:2, 5:11, 5:16, 5:18, 5:18-21, 5:20, 5:22, 5:22-24, 5:25, 5:26, 5:27, 5:33
6:2, 6:4, 6:10, 6:10-13, 6:10-18, 6:10-20, 6:11, 6:12, 6:14, 6:18, 6:19, 6:19-20

Philippians (33 references)

1:6, 1:20-21
2:3, 2:5, 2:10, 2:14, 2:16
3:2, 3:8, 3:17
4:4, 4:4-6, 4:4-7, 4:4-9, 4:6, 4:7, 4:11-12, 4:13, 4:19

Colossians (25 references)

1:9, 1:13-14, 1:17, 1:27
2:11, 2:15
3:2, 3:8-10, 3:10, 3:12, 3:15, 3:15-17, 3:16-17, 3:17, 3:18, 3:23
4:2, 4:6

1 Thessalonians (8 references)

2:8
5:11, 5:14, 5:16-18, 5:19, 5:19-22, 5:22

2 Thessalonians (6 references)

2:16-17
3:2, 3:3, 3:6, 3:13, 3:16

1 Timothy (10 references)

1:17
2:1, 2:1-2
4:12, 4:13, 4:16
5:3
6:12, 6:20

2 Timothy (15 references)

1:1, 1:7, 1:12, 1:13
2:15, 2:24, 2:25-26
3:15-17, 3:16, 3:16-17
4:7

Titus (3 references)

1:2
3:9

Philemon (1 reference)

1:7

Hebrews (47 references)

1:3
2:11
3:13
4:12, 4:16
5:14
6:12, 6:13-18
9:22
10:4-23, 10:25, 10:35
11:1
12:1, 12:2, 12:2-3, 12:5-11, 12:12, 12:15, 12:26-28
13:3-5, 13:5, 13:5-6, 13:8, 13:9, 13:15

James (33 references)

1:2, 1:2-3, 1:2-4, 1:2-6, 1:5, 1:5-6, 1:12, 1:12-15, 1:13, 1:13-14, 1:17, 1:17-18, 1:19, 1:19-20, 1:22
3:14-16
4:6, 4:6-8, 4:7
5:13, 5:16

1 Peter (25 references)

1:3, 1:4-5, 1:16, 1:22
2:1, 2:2, 2:9, 2:11, 2:17, 2:24
3:3-4, 3:4, 3:14, 3:15, 3:16
4:12-14
5:7, 5:7-9, 5:8, 5:8-9, 5:9

2 Peter (3 references)

3:8, 3:17, 3:18

1 John (21 references)

1:7, 1:7-9, 1:8, 1:8-9, 1:9, 1:19
2:25
4:4, 4:19
5:11-12, 5:14-15

2 John (1 reference)

2 John 10

Jude (4 references)

Jude 3
Jude 22
Jude 24

Revelation (15 references)

1:8
4:8, 4:11
12:11
19:11-16, 19:16
Revelation 20
21:1-2, 21:27
22:20

Topics

PrayerCommunion with GodDaily DevotionScripture Reading PlanMorning PrayerEvening PrayerIntercessionMatthew 6Psalms