what did jesus say about prayer

Jesus spoke about prayer often, and his teaching centers on sincerity , humility , trust , and perseverance in talking with God.

Key things Jesus said about prayer

• Pray sincerely, not to impress people. He warned against praying just to be seen as holy, calling such people “hypocrites,” and said to pray in secret before the Father who sees in secret.

• Pray simply, not with empty phrases. He said not to “heap up empty words” like those who think they will be heard because they use many words.

• Pray to your Father. He taught that God is a loving Father who already knows what you need before you ask, so prayer is a trusting relationship, not a performance.

• Use the pattern of the Lord’s Prayer. He gave a model prayer beginning “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name…”, which includes praise, submission to God’s will, daily needs, forgiveness, and protection from temptation.

• Ask, seek, knock. Jesus said, “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened,” stressing that God is generous to those who come to him.

• Be persistent. Through parables like the friend at midnight and the persistent widow, he taught that we “should always pray and not give up.”

• Pray with faith. He said that those who pray believing can see God work powerfully, though answers come in ways that are ultimately for our good.

• Pray with a forgiving heart. He tied prayer to forgiveness, saying that when we pray we should forgive others, because our relationship with God and with people are closely linked.

Mini-sections on Jesus’ prayer teaching

1. The heart behind prayer

Jesus put strong emphasis on motive : pray to meet with God, not to build a religious image. He pointed people away from long, showy prayers and toward honest words flowing from trust in a Father who sees what is hidden.

“When you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father…Your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”

In today’s terms, that challenges both public spirituality on stages and subtle “virtue-signaling” online; the question is whether the inner life with God is real.

2. The Lord’s Prayer as a pattern

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus didn’t just talk about prayer; he gave a template.

The Lord’s Prayer includes:

• Worship: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.”
• Surrender: “Your kingdom come, your will be done.”
• Dependence: “Give us today our daily bread.”
• Mercy: “Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.”
• Protection: “Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.”

Christians and many others still use this pattern: short, balanced, God- centered, and honest about daily needs.

3. Asking boldly, but trusting God

Jesus said God is better than the best human parent, giving good gifts to his children who ask. He promised that those who ask, seek, and knock will be answered, though other passages and Christian reflection note that “good gifts” do not always equal getting exactly what we requested.

Some passages say believers can receive “anything” they ask in prayer, or when two agree together in his name. Many teachers explain this as asking in line with God’s will and character, not using prayer as a way to control outcomes.

4. Persistence and perseverance in prayer

Through stories of a neighbor knocking at midnight and a widow pleading before a judge, Jesus urged people not to give up in prayer. The point is not that God is reluctant, but that persistent prayer keeps us close to God and shows that we truly care about what we are asking.

In a world of instant responses and “seen” indicators, this idea of staying with the same request before God over time is striking and often discussed in modern sermons and blogs.

5. Prayer in Jesus’ own life

The Gospels also show Jesus himself praying often—alone, in quiet places, before big decisions, and in deep anguish before his death. This consistent pattern is part of why many describe prayer as the “heartbeat” of his relationship with the Father, not just a religious duty.

For many Christians today, this leads to the view that to follow Jesus includes regularly withdrawing from noise, even briefly, to speak with God as Father.

Brief multi-viewpoint note

• Traditional Christian view: Prayer is a real conversation with a loving Father, shaped by Jesus’ teaching and example, that both changes us and can change circumstances.

• More skeptical or symbolic view: Some see Jesus’ words as primarily psychological or ethical guidance—prayer as reflection, confession, and aligning oneself with a higher moral vision rather than expecting direct divine intervention.

In both perspectives, Jesus’ sayings about prayer remain a central reference point in spiritual and ethical discussions today, often quoted in sermons, devotionals, and even secular reflections on mindfulness and authenticity.

TL;DR: When people ask “what did Jesus say about prayer,” the core answer is: pray humbly and honestly to your Father, keep it simple, keep going, forgive others, and trust God to give what is truly good.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.