Guide with printable lists

Prayer list examples: 10 Christian prayer lists you can print

A prayer list is only useful if it is specific enough to pray and short enough to finish. Here are ten worked examples for different people and seasons. Each one opens in the free printable prayer list with the requests already typed, so you can change the names and print it.

The names below are placeholders. Every list follows the same pattern: who, a dash, what you are asking, and sometimes a verse reference in parentheses. That one-line form is easy to read aloud, easy to update, and it is what the printable list and the Knelt app both expect.

A personal prayer list

For one person's daily prayer. Printed as a weekly list, so twelve lines become a few each day.

• Mom - her knee recovery and patience with physio
• Dad - rest, and a good report at the cardiologist
• My sister Leah - wisdom about the move to Denver
• Sam at work - his marriage, and a way to talk about faith
• Pastor and his family - strength for the season
• Our church - unity through the building project
• A friend far from God - an open heart (2 Pet 3:9)
• Missionaries we support - safety and fruit
• Our country's leaders - wisdom and justice (1 Tim 2:1-2)
• Me - to be quick to listen and slow to anger (Jas 1:19)
• Me - contentment with money
• Thanks - for the new job last spring

Why it works: the people closest to you come first, then the church and the world, then your own needs, and one line of thanks keeps the list from being only asking. Twelve lines dealt across a week is under two a day, which is a list you will still be using in March.

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A family prayer list

For praying together at dinner or bedtime. Printed as a daily grid so a child can tick the day's box.

• Grandma - her new home at Maple Court
• Grandpa Joe - his eyes, and the surgery in May
• Aunt Jo and the cousins - a safe trip home
• Mia - courage for the new school
• Ben - making a good friend this year
• Mom and Dad - patience and a kind home (Eph 4:32)
• Mr. Torres next door - feeling better after his fall
• Thanks - for food, a home and each other

Why it works: everyone in the family can see a name of their own on it. Eight lines is short enough to pray in two minutes at the table, and it is the same eight every day, so even young children learn them.

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A small-group prayer list

For a Bible study or home group. Printed as a request sheet with the date and an answered column.

• Anna - her dad's test results this week
• Chris and Dana - selling the house
• Marcus - a job after the layoff
• Grace - sleep with the new baby
• Tom - his brother, back in rehab
• Priya - peace about the visa interview (Phil 4:6-7)
• The group - to keep meeting through the winter

Why it works: each request belongs to someone in the room, so next week you can ask them how it went and write the answer in. The empty rows at the bottom are for the requests that come up during the meeting. For keeping a group list going week to week, read how to run a small-group prayer list.

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A church prayer list

For a prayer team, a prayer chain or the bulletin insert. Printed as a weekly list so each ministry has its day.

• Sunday services - the preaching of the Word and those visiting
• Children's ministry - leaders, and the families who are new
• Youth group - the retreat in March
• The sick and the housebound - healing and visits
• Elders and deacons - wisdom in decisions (Jas 1:5)
• Missions partners - the clinic in Kenya and the church plant downtown
• Our city - the schools, the shelter and the police
• Those grieving this month - comfort (Matt 5:4)
• New believers - roots that go deep (Col 2:6-7)
• Staff - rest and joy in the work

Why it works: a church list by ministry, not by name, can be printed publicly without sharing anyone's private request. Keep named, personal requests for the prayer team's own sheet, with permission.

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For a friend who is ill

For carrying one person through treatment. Printed as a daily grid; each line is one part of what they face.

• Ruth - the right treatment plan from her doctors
• Ruth - strength on chemo days and the days after
• Ruth - sleep, appetite and less pain
• Ruth - peace when the waiting is hard (Isa 26:3)
• Her husband Ken - rest and help with the kids
• Her kids - to feel safe and loved
• Her care team - skill and kindness
• Me - to know when to visit, call or bring a meal

Why it works: "heal Ruth" prayed every day for six months gets thin. Breaking it into the parts she is actually living through, and the people around her, keeps the prayer specific. The last line turns prayer into help. When you tell her you are praying, tell her what for.

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A prayer list for kids

Written with a child, in their words. Short lines they can read themselves.

• Thank you God - for my family
• Grandma - to feel better
• My friend Noah - to be happy at school
• Our dog Biscuit - to stay healthy
• My teacher - a good day
• Me - to be brave and kind

Why it works: a child's list should be theirs. Let them choose the names, keep it to six or fewer, and start with thanks. Print it large and let them tick a box each night; when Grandma does feel better, write it on the sheet and show them.

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For your marriage

For praying for your husband or wife and your marriage. Printed as a weekly list, one focus a day.

• My spouse - their walk with God this week
• My spouse - their work, and the pressure at the office
• Us - time together that is not about logistics
• Us - quick forgiveness (Col 3:13)
• Us - wisdom with money and one mind about it
• Our home - a place where others feel welcome
• Me - to love the way 1 Corinthians 13 describes (1 Cor 13:4-7)

Why it works: seven lines, one a day, so every day you pray for something specific in your marriage rather than "bless us". The last line is about you, which is the only person in the marriage you can change.

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For your neighbours and city

For praying for the street you live on. Printed as a daily grid to keep on the fridge.

• The Nguyens at 14 - the new baby
• Mrs. Patel - company, she lives alone
• The family at the corner - whatever they need, we do not know them yet
• The kids at the bus stop - safety and good friends
• The school on Elm - teachers and the principal
• Our mayor and council - wisdom and honesty (Jer 29:7)

Why it works: you cannot pray for neighbours for long without wanting to know them. The line "we do not know them yet" is honest, and it usually changes within a month.

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A 30-day prayer list

For a month of focused prayer, a 30-day challenge, Lent or Advent. Printed as days 1 to 30; the lines repeat in order through the month.

• Praise - God is faithful (Lam 3:22-23)
• Confession - what I have put before God
• Thanks - three things from yesterday
• My family - each by name
• My church - its leaders and its lonely
• Someone who does not know Jesus
• The persecuted church (Heb 13:3)
• My work and the people I work with
• My city and nation
• Listening - be still, ask, and write down what comes to mind (Ps 46:10)

Why it works: ten themes come round three times in thirty days, so each gets real attention without the list growing to thirty lines. The day's line is a starting point, not the whole prayer.

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A weekday rotation

For a long list, prayed through once a week. Seven lines, so each lands on its own day on the weekly sheet.

• Family - parents, siblings, children, in-laws
• Church - pastors, small group, those who are sick
• Friends - each one, by name
• Work - colleagues, my boss, the hard project
• Nation and leaders - government, courts, police (1 Tim 2:1-2)
• Missions - the missionaries we support and the unreached
• Me - my own walk with God, and thanks for the week

Why it works: this is how most long-time pray-ers handle a list of fifty names. Monday is family, Tuesday is church, and so on, and nobody is forgotten for more than a week. On the printed weekly sheet, the first line goes on the first day, the second on the second, and you write the names under each day. The Knelt app does the same with a list's rhythm: a list can come up on chosen weekdays, or a few names a day in rotation.

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How to write your own

• One request a line. If a line needs an "and", it is probably two lines.
• Specific enough to be answered. "A job after the layoff" can be answered; "bless Marcus" cannot be checked.
• Short enough to finish. Under ten lines a day. Spread a longer list across the week.
• Date it. Write when you started, and when and how it was answered.
• Prune it. Once a month, move answered requests off the list and into a record you keep.

The longer version is in how to organize a prayer list, and keeping the answered record is covered in how to keep a prayer request tracker.

Questions

What should be on a prayer list?

One line per request: the person or situation and the specific need, plus the date you started praying. Many people add a Bible verse and leave room to write how and when the prayer was answered.

How long should a prayer list be?

As long as you will actually pray through. A daily list works best under about ten names; a longer list can be spread across the week so each request comes round once every seven days.

How do I make a prayer list for a small group?

Write each person's name, their request and the date it was shared, and keep a column for answers. Read it at the start of each meeting, update it, and give everyone a copy. The small-group request sheet is laid out for this.