Rejoice always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus. | Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus. |
Do not worry about anything, but present your needs to God in prayer and petition, with thanksgiving. Then the peace of God, which is beyond all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. | Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. |
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And thus we can have confidence in him that if we ask anything that is in accordance with his will, he hears us. | And we are confident that he hears us whenever we ask for anything that pleases him. |
Persevere in prayer, with alert minds and thankful hearts. | Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart. |
When you call out to me and come forth and pray to me, I will listen to you. | In those days when you pray, I will listen. |
So I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. | I tell you, you can pray for anything, and if you believe that you’ve received it, it will be yours. |
Be joyful in your hope. Be patient in times of affliction. Persevere in prayer. | Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying. |
The Lord is near to all who call out to him, to all who call out to him sincerely. | The Lord is close to all who call on him, yes, to all who call on him in truth. |
About midnight, Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns of praise to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. | Around midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening. |
Call to me and I will answer you and reveal to you great and mysterious secrets about which you are unaware. | Ask me and I will tell you remarkable secrets you do not know about things to come. |
When you pray do not go on babbling endlessly as the pagans do, for they believe that they are more likely to be heard because of their many words. | When you pray, don’t babble on and on as the Gentiles do. They think their prayers are answered merely by repeating their words again and again. |
Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence so that we may receive mercy and find grace when we are in need of help. | So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most. |
For where two or three are gathered together in my name, I am there in their midst. | For where two or three gather together as my followers, I am there among them. |
In my anguish I cried out to the Lord and called to my God for help. From his temple he heard my voice, and my cry to him reached his ears. | But in my distress I cried out to the Lord; yes, I prayed to my God for help. He heard me from his sanctuary; my cry to him reached his ears. |
But when you pray, go into your room, close the door, and pray to your Father in secret. And your Father who sees everything that is done in secret will reward you. | But when you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father in private. Then your Father, who sees everything, will reward you. |
And if we know that he hears us in regard to whatever we ask him, we may be sure that all we ask of him will be ours. | And since we know he hears us when we make our requests, we also know that he will give us what we ask for. |
Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. | Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results. |
But he is to ask with faith, without doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed about by the wind. | But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind. |
You did not choose me. Rather, I chose you. And I appointed you to go out and bear fruit, fruit that will remain, so that the Father may give you whatever you ask him in my name. | You didn’t choose me. I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce lasting fruit, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask for, using my name. |
The end of all things is near. Therefore, lead disciplined lives and be watchful in prayer. | The end of the world is coming soon. Therefore, be earnest and disciplined in your prayers. |
I lifted up my voice in prayer to him; his praise was on my tongue. | For I cried out to him for help, praising him as I spoke. |
All of these were constantly engaged in prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brethren. | They all met together and were constantly united in prayer, along with Mary the mother of Jesus, several other women, and the brothers of Jesus. |
Whatever you ask for in faith-filled prayer, you will receive. | You can pray for anything, and if you have faith, you will receive it. |
Whatever you ask in my name I will do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. | You can ask for anything in my name, and I will do it, so that the Son can bring glory to the Father. |
But to those of you who are listening to me, I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. | But to you who are willing to listen, I say, love your enemies! Do good to those who hate you. Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who hurt you. |