Guides · Template, examples and ideas
How to Make a Prayer List with a weekly template
Short answer: A prayer list is a short written list of the people and needs you want to bring to God regularly. Write each name with one specific request and the date, grouped by category: family, church, friends and neighbors, work and school, people who don’t yet know Jesus, leaders and missionaries, and yourself. Then give each category its own day of the week, so the list stays short enough to pray in ten minutes. When God answers, write down the date and how.
First of all, then, I urge that petitions, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgiving be offered for everyone— for kings and all those in authority—so that we may lead tranquil and quiet lives in all godliness and dignity.
— 1 Timothy 2:1-2 (BSB)
Most of us have said ‘I’ll pray for you’ and then forgotten. A prayer list turns good intentions into actual prayer. Paul could tell the Ephesians, “I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers.” A list is how ordinary Christians remember: it puts names in front of you, and over time it shows you how God has answered.
What should I put on my prayer list?
Start with people, not topics. For each name, write one specific request and the date. These categories cover most of what Scripture asks us to pray for:
- Family: spouse, children, parents, brothers and sisters, grandchildren.
- Church: pastors, elders, your small group, children’s and youth workers, members who are sick or grieving.
- Friends and neighbors: by name, including the ones you don’t know well yet.
- Work and school: coworkers, your boss, teachers, classmates, and your own work.
- People who don’t yet know Jesus: the three to five you most long to see come to faith.
- Leaders, nation and missionaries: local and national leaders, missionaries you know, the persecuted church.
- Yourself: your walk with God, your character, your needs.
- Thanksgiving: answered prayers and gifts you don’t want to forget.
A 7-day prayer list: one focus a day
Try to pray for everyone every day and the list grows until you stop using it. Give each day one focus instead. Every name still gets prayed for each week, and each day fits in about ten minutes. Pray daily for the few closest to you, like your spouse and children, whatever the day’s focus.
| Day | Focus | Who to pray for | Scripture to pray |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monday | Family | Spouse, children, parents, relatives | Numbers 6:24-26 |
| Tuesday | Church | Pastors, elders, small group, ministries, the sick and grieving | Ephesians 6:18-19 |
| Wednesday | Friends and neighbors | Friends by name; the people on your street | Philippians 1:9-11 |
| Thursday | Work and school | Coworkers, boss, teachers, classmates, your own work | Colossians 3:23 |
| Friday | People who don’t yet know Jesus | Family, friends and coworkers you long to see come to faith | Romans 10:1 |
| Saturday | Leaders, nation and missionaries | Local and national leaders, missionaries, the persecuted church | 1 Timothy 2:1-2 |
| Sunday | Yourself and thanksgiving | Your own walk with God; thanks for answered prayers | Psalm 139:23-24; Psalm 103:2 |
Make your prayer list here
Add names under each day below. Your list is saved on this device, not sent to us, and you can print it as a one-page weekly template.
Your prayer list
Prayer request examples: vague and specific
Specific requests are easier to pray and easier to recognize when God answers. Compare:
| Vague | Specific |
|---|---|
| Bless Mom. | Mom: calm before her knee surgery on the 14th, skill for her surgeon, a smooth recovery. |
| Help my son. | Eli: one good friend at his new school; courage to ask his teacher for help in math. |
| Pray for my pastor. | Pastor Dan: rest after a heavy month; clear words for Sunday’s sermon; a strong marriage. |
| Save my coworker. | Rachel: an open door to talk about faith; that she would come to church with us at Easter. |
| Help me at work. | Me: patience with the new system; honesty when I’m tempted to cut corners. |
| Pray for missionaries. | The Ortiz family in Peru: good health, progress in language school, safe travel next month. |
Example: a Wednesday prayer list
Friends
Beth: wisdom about moving closer to her parents (since Sept 3). Marcus: a new job after the layoff (since Aug 20).
Neighbors
The Lees next door: their new baby, sleep and health. Frank across the street: lonely since his wife died; a chance for me to visit him this week.
Answered
Sept 28: Beth decided to stay, and she has peace about it. Thank You, Lord.
How to pray through your list in 10 minutes
- 1
Two minutes: quiet and praise
Settle, then praise God for who He is. Starting with God changes how you pray for everyone else.
Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise; give thanks to Him and bless His name.
— Psalm 100:4 (BSB) - 2
One minute: confession
Ask Him to search your heart, confess what comes to mind, and receive His forgiveness.
- 3
Five minutes: today’s focus
Go down the day’s names. Pray a sentence or two for each request, and borrow words from the day’s Scripture. You don’t need many words; your Father already knows what they need.
- 4
One minute: your closest people
Pray briefly for your spouse, children or whoever you pray for every day.
- 5
One minute: thanks
Thank God for any answers, and mark them on your list with the date.
How do I keep track of answered prayer?
Give every request a date. When something changes, write the date and what happened beside it: yes, not yet, no, or something different from what you asked. Once a month, move finished requests to an Answered page and read it on a Sunday as part of your thanksgiving, and retire requests that no longer apply. Over a year, that page becomes a strong reminder that God hears: “But God has surely heard; He has attended to the sound of my prayer” (Psalm 66:19). For a fuller record, keep a prayer journal.
How to make a church prayer list
A church prayer list helps a congregation carry one another’s burdens (Galatians 6:2). It also holds private information about real people, so handle it with care.
- Ask permission before sharing anyone’s need: ‘May I share this with the prayer team? What would you like me to say?’ Share only what they approve.
- Use first names and keep details short. ‘Pray for Linda’s health this week’ is enough; diagnoses and family conflicts are hers to share.
- For children and teens, ask a parent first.
- Welcome unspoken requests. Someone may want prayer without saying why; God knows the need.
- Date every request and remove it after four weeks unless the person asks to keep it on.
- Share praises, not only requests, when prayers are answered.
- Guard against gossip: “A gossip reveals a secret, but a trustworthy person keeps a confidence” (Proverbs 11:13). Keep pastoral matters with the pastors and elders, and send the list only to people who will pray.
Example: a weekly church prayer list
Health
Linda K.: recovering at home after surgery. Baby Noah: in the NICU; strength for his parents. (Both shared with permission.)
Grief
The Johnson family, after the death of Ruth’s father.
Church and missions
Pastor Dan and the elders as they plan next year. The Ortiz family in Peru: language school.
Unspoken
Two unspoken requests.
Praise
Tom started his new job on Monday. Thank You, Lord.
What if my prayer list is too long?
A long list means you love a lot of people. But if it has become a chore, trim it: spread names across the week, keep each request to one line, retire what is finished, and choose a handful of people to pray for faithfully rather than a hundred to skim. God doesn’t hear us for our many words (Matthew 6:7-8), and praying for others is “good and pleasing in the sight of God our Savior” (1 Timothy 2:3).
My weekly prayer list
Week of ______________ · Write each name with one specific request. When God answers, write the date beside it.
ourbiblemoments.com/guides/prayer-list
Keep going
- How to keep a prayer journal, with 64 prompts
- How to pray for someone, with example prayers
- The A.C.T.S. prayer model
- Prayer points with Scriptures for church, family and nation
- Prayer points for the church
- Prayer for unsaved loved ones
Questions
What should be on a prayer list?
Names and specific needs: your family, your church and pastors, friends and neighbors, coworkers and classmates, people who don’t yet know Jesus, leaders and missionaries, and yourself. Add a section for answered prayers, and date each request so you can see later how God answered.
How do you write a prayer request?
Keep it short and specific: who, what and when. For example: ‘Mom: peace before her knee surgery on the 14th and a smooth recovery.’ If the need is someone else’s, ask before sharing it, and share only the details they are comfortable with.
What is an unspoken prayer request?
A request for prayer without the details. The person wants prayer but would rather keep the matter private, perhaps because it involves someone else or is painful to talk about. Pray for it just as sincerely: ask God to meet the need He already knows, and to give the person comfort and wisdom.
How long should a prayer list be?
Short enough that you will actually pray through it. With a weekly rotation, five to ten names a day is plenty for ten minutes. If the list keeps growing, retire answered requests and keep each one to a single line. Faithful prayer for a few is better than skimming many.