To write a prayer request, say who or what needs prayer, briefly explain the situation, and ask for specific support such as peace, strength, wisdom, or healing. A few honest sentences are enough.
You can share your request with a church prayer team, a trusted friend, or an online prayer service. Start with the need on your heart, and choose how much of the story you feel comfortable sharing.
A simple example
Please pray for my mother as she prepares for surgery. Ask God to give her peace, guide her medical team, and help our family support her through recovery. Thank you for keeping her in your prayers.
Your request in three simple steps
- Name the need. Who or what would you like prayer for?
- Choose a prayer focus. Ask for peace, strength, wisdom, comfort, or healing.
- Share only what feels appropriate. Keep sensitive details private.
A simple prayer request template
Please pray for [person or situation]. We are facing [brief description of the need]. Please ask God for [specific prayer focus]. Thank you for praying with us.
Replace the bracketed phrases with your own words. You can leave out a name, use a relationship such as “my brother,” or say “someone close to me.” A greeting and a thank-you are welcome, but you can also send a single sentence.
How to write a prayer request in three steps
1. Name the person or situation
Begin with enough context to help someone understand the request: “My father is recovering from an illness,” “Our family is grieving,” or “I need to make a difficult decision.”
If several worries are competing for your attention, choose the one you most want prayer for today. Keeping a request focused can make it easier to write and easier for someone else to respond thoughtfully.
2. Say what you would like prayer for
Think about the support you need within that situation. Alongside a change in circumstances, you may want prayer for patience while waiting, courage for a conversation, wisdom for a decision, or comfort through grief.
For example, “Please pray for my family” can become “Please pray for patience and understanding in our family as we work through a disagreement.” Specificity helps others understand what matters to you. It does not require a detailed account of everything that happened.
3. Keep the details brief and respectful
Read the request once before sharing it. Keep the information that helps someone pray, and remove details that belong in a private conversation. Consider where the request will appear and who may be able to read it.
If you would welcome a reply or practical help, you can ask for that separately when the church or service offers it. Avoid assuming that every online submission includes personal counseling, ongoing contact, or an immediate response.
Short prayer request examples
These are original sample requests, rather than accounts of real people. Change them to reflect your situation and the words you feel comfortable sharing.
For a loved one’s health
Please pray for my sister during her treatment. Ask God for healing, strength, and rest, and for wisdom for everyone caring for her.
For family peace
Please pray for peace in our family. We need patience to listen, humility to apologize, and wisdom to take the next steps with care.
For grief
Please pray for our family as we grieve someone we love. Ask God for comfort, strength for each day, and caring people to walk alongside us.
For a difficult decision
I am facing an important decision. Please pray for clarity, wise counsel, and courage to choose a path that reflects my faith and responsibilities.
For work or financial strain
Please pray for me as I look for work. Ask God for opportunities, wisdom with our finances, and strength to keep taking practical steps.
For thanksgiving
Please join me in thanking God for the support our family has received during a hard season. Pray that we will notice opportunities to care for others, too.
For a private or unspoken need
I have a personal concern that I am keeping private. Please pray for peace, wisdom, and strength as I work through it. Thank you for your kindness.
A private request can still give others a clear prayer focus. You can ask for prayer without explaining a sensitive situation. For health concerns, prayer can accompany appropriate treatment and practical support.
A prayer request and a personal prayer: choosing your words
A request shared with other people often begins, “Please pray for…” A prayer addressed directly to God may begin, “Lord, please…” Both can express the same concern, with wording suited to the place you are sharing it.
Here is the first example rewritten as a personal prayer:
Lord, please be near my mother as she prepares for surgery. Give her peace, guide her medical team, and help our family care for her through recovery. Amen.
Use the format the prayer team or service asks for. You do not need formal religious language, a long opening, or a special formula. Choose words that honestly express your need.
How to shorten a prayer request for an online form
Keep the relationship, the need, and the prayer focus. Remove background that someone would need only to discuss the situation in depth.
A longer explanation
My brother has been looking for a job since his workplace closed. He has sent many applications and feels discouraged. Our family is trying to help, but we are worried. Please pray for him as he continues his search.
A more focused version
Please pray for my brother as he looks for work. Ask God for encouragement, suitable opportunities, and wisdom for his next steps.
The 7 Day Prayer Miracle prayer-request box currently displays a 375-character limit. The short examples above fit within that limit. If you personalize one, check the length again before submitting.
Sharing a request for someone else
Ask what the person is comfortable having shared when you can. A name, diagnosis, relationship conflict, or family difficulty may be information they want to keep private. You can simply say, “Please pray for someone I love who is going through a difficult time.”
For a public prayer list or social post, be especially careful with identifying details. Follow the receiving group’s privacy guidance and avoid promising confidentiality on someone else’s behalf.
Bringing your need to God
For further reflection on making prayer part of everyday life, read our guide to the importance of prayer.
Philippians 4:6 connects bringing requests to God with prayer and thanksgiving. James 5:16 encourages believers to pray for one another. These passages offer encouragement as you seek support; the wording of a request cannot guarantee a particular outcome.
Have someone on your heart?
You can share a personal prayer request with 7 Day Prayer Miracle. The service page explains the options for sending a prayer note to the Stone of Anointing in Jerusalem.
