I test stuff for a living, but I also pray. This past month, I carried seven Bible prayers in my pocket. I wrote them on sticky notes. I kept one in my wallet, one on the fridge, and one near the coffee maker. I used them in the car line, the grocery store, and on the floor by my bed at 3 a.m.
Some were easy. Some stung. All of them met me where I was.
If you’d like the play-by-play of the whole experiment, you can find it right here.
1) The Lord’s Prayer — when my mind won’t sit still
Text: “Our Father in heaven… your kingdom come… give us today our daily bread…”
How I used it: I said it slow during a 3 a.m. worry storm. I paused at each line. When I said “give us today our daily bread,” I thought about rent, milk, and peace. I took one breath per line. My heart finally came down.
What I loved:
- It covers it all: worship, needs, forgiveness, safety.
- It’s a map when my brain is messy.
What was hard:
- It can feel like a script. I had to go slow so it didn’t turn into noise.
Real moment: I whispered it in the Target parking lot before a hard talk with my boss. My hands shook. By “deliver us from evil,” they didn’t.
2) Hannah’s Prayer — when hopes feel heavy
Story: Hannah cried out for a child (1 Samuel). She poured her soul out. No fancy words. Just tears and trust.
Want the scripture itself? The raw emotion shows in 1 Samuel 1:13, and her victory song sings in 1 Samuel 2:1-21.
How I used it: After our second month of not-great news from the doctor, I sat on the bath mat and told God the plain truth. I said, “I feel small. I feel left out. Can you see me?” I didn’t try to sound strong.
What I loved:
- It makes room for raw feelings.
- It tells me God hears a messy cry, not just neat lines.
What was hard:
- The wait. There’s no timer on hope. That part hurt.
Real moment: I grabbed a crumpled tissue and said, “If you give, I’ll give back.” Not a deal, more like an open hand. Weirdly, I slept well that night. While waiting, I kept a single Bible verse for strength taped to the mirror so hope had something solid to stand on.
3) Jabez’s Prayer — asking big without getting greedy
Text: “Bless me… enlarge my territory… keep me from harm…” (1 Chronicles 4:10)
How I used it: My freelance work was thin. I asked for more good work, not just more work. “Grow my reach, but guard my heart. Keep me from doing dumb stuff for cash.”
What I loved:
- It gave me bold words without shame.
- It adds a fence: “keep me from harm.” I needed that.
What was hard:
- It can slip into “gimme.” I had to check my motives.
Real moment: I wrote it on an index card and slid it under my laptop. That week, two steady clients called. Not huge. But solid. I said thanks. That night I read through a handful of Thanksgiving Bible verses just to keep the gratitude real.
4) David’s Sorry-Not-Sorry Prayer (Psalm 51) — when I mess up
Text vibe: “Have mercy… create in me a clean heart…”
How I used it: I snapped at my teen and slammed a door. Five minutes later, the guilt sat like a brick. I read Psalm 51 out loud in the laundry room, by the warm dryer. I said the line, “You desire truth in my inner being.” Oof.
What I loved:
- It doesn’t dance around the mess. It names it.
- It moves from shame to a fresh start.
What was hard:
- It stings. It makes you look in the mirror. But that sting cleans.
Real moment: I said sorry to my kid after. We ate toast and jam on the porch. Small, but soft. Leaning into those words reminded me of a handful of Bible verses about grace that still mop up my messes on the regular.
5) Hezekiah’s Wall Prayer — when health scares get loud
Story: The king turned his face to the wall and wept (2 Kings 20). Simple. Honest.
How I used it: I sat in the blue chair in the hospital lobby while Dad was in surgery. I turned my face toward the wall, like Hezekiah. I said, “Please add years. Please add good years.” My chapstick tasted like mint and fear.
What I loved:
- It welcomes tears. No mask needed.
- It’s short, but full of trust.
What was hard:
- You don’t control the outcome. That’s the worst part.
Real moment: A nurse walked by and gave me a nod. I kept praying in my head. Later, we got a good update. I cried again, this time from relief. The whole hallway felt like a living example of the verses about victory in the Bible I’d bookmarked earlier.
6) The Tax Collector’s One-Liner — when pride flares up
Text: “God, have mercy on me, a sinner.” (Luke 18:13)
How I used it: I judged my neighbor for the messy yard. Then I saw my own sink. I whispered the line while rinsing dishes. Short. Sharp. Right to the point.
What I loved:
- It fits on a sticky note. Or a breath at a red light.
- It lowers the shoulders. Pride can’t breathe around it.
What was hard:
- My ego fights it. But the fight fades fast.
Real moment: I began using it when I caught myself rolling my eyes. Two weeks in, I rolled them less.
7) Gethsemane’s Surrender — when the choice is heavy
Text: “Not my will, but yours be done.” (Luke 22:42)
How I used it: A job offer looked shiny but felt off. I walked our block at night, jacket zipped, and prayed that line every few steps. “Not mine… yours.” I sent a polite no the next day. A month later, the right door opened. Quieter. Better.
What I loved:
- It takes the weight off my chest.
- It trades control for peace.
What was hard:
- Saying “your will” is scary. I like my plans. I really do.
Real moment: I slept like a rock after I said no. That told me a lot. It felt like page one of the Bible verses about new beginnings collection I’d read the week before.
How I fit these prayers into a normal day
- Morning: Lord’s Prayer while the kettle warms.
- Commute: Tax Collector’s line at stoplights.
- Lunch break: Jabez, once, with my calendar open.
- Afternoon slump: Psalm 51 if I’ve been sharp with people.
- Evening walk: Gethsemane. Hands open.
- Hospital or hard news: Hezekiah’s wall prayer, even if the “wall” is my steering wheel.
- Heavy hope days: Hannah’s honest cry, with tissues nearby.
Little tools helped: a sticky note on the fridge, a note in my phone, a reminder alarm that just said “pray small.”
What surprised me
- The short ones hit the deepest. Less fluff, more heart.
- My mood followed my mouth. When I prayed peace, my breath slowed.
- Saying “forgive us” made me forgive faster. Not always. But more.
What didn’t change (right away)
- Timing. Answers didn’t run on my schedule.
- Feelings. Some days, I felt nothing. I prayed anyway. Like brushing teeth. You keep at it. On the days I wanted to quit, a quick scroll through these Bible verses about not giving up pushed me back into the ring.
Quick picks — start here if…
- Can’t sleep: The Lord’s Prayer, slow and steady.
- Big decision: Gethsemane’s “your will.”
- Feeling small and sad: Hannah’s cry.
- Need more (work, courage, vision): Jabez, with guardrails.
- Messed up and know it: Psalm 51, then say sorry.
- Health fear or