Here is a short prayer for the minute you are in: "Lord, I need You right now. Help me." A short prayer is complete when you name God, say the need or the thanks, and stop. The prayers on this page are built the same way.
A short prayer is a few honest words spoken to God, in ordinary language, in the time you actually have. Matthew 6:7 (KJV) says, "...for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking."
The Bible lines on this page are the King James Version, copied from bible-api.com on October 30, 2026. Line breaks in that text were joined into single spaces. Where a line is shortened, three dots mark the words left out.
Memorize one of these when you want a prayer that fits in a single breath.
If the need is courage, peace, strength, or thanks, pray one of these. Say the line. Then read the verse.
"Lord, I am afraid, so give me courage for the next step."
"Father, settle my heart and give me Your peace here."
"Lord, I have no strength for this, so be my strength."
When you need more than one line, there is a longer prayer for strength.
"Thank You, God, for this gift I do not want to walk past."
When one line isn't enough, here are ten longer prayers of thanksgiving and a grace for the Thanksgiving table.
Each of these takes about a minute. Each one still names God, tells Him something true, and ends. Use one while you wait, or while your hands are busy.
Lord, this day is Yours before it is mine. Take my work, my words, and the people I will meet. Lead me, and keep me from walking past You. I am Yours. Amen.
If the morning gives you more than a minute, continue with a longer morning prayer.
Father, thank You for this food and for the person who prepared it. Receive our thanks, and let this table be a kind place. In Jesus' name, Amen.
God, I am overwhelmed, and a long prayer will not come. I hand You this pressure. Be my peace, and give me a clear thought. I trust You with what I cannot fix. Amen.
Lord, I was wrong. Please forgive me for what I said, what I did, or what I left undone. I confess it to You. Where I can make it right, show me the first step. Amen.
Father, I bring [name] to You. I do not see the whole need. You do. Meet them where they are, in body and in spirit, and let them know they are not forgotten. Amen.
Lord, I am about to speak. Guard my words and my tone. Give me honesty and gentleness, and let this talk lead to understanding. In Your name, Amen.
God, You answered, and I do not want to hurry past it. Thank You for hearing me and for being faithful in this. I say it now so I remember. Amen.
Father, I am scared, and I do not have time to sort the fear. Stay with me in this moment. Be nearer to me than the thing I am afraid of. Amen.
Lord, thank You for this day. Forgive where I fell short. Watch over this house through the night, and let me lie down in peace. Amen.
God, I ask for what You want, including the places where I still want my own way. Show me the next step, and give me the will to take it. Your will be done. Amen.
Paul wrote a line short enough to memorize. 1 Thessalonians 5:17 (KJV) says, "Pray without ceasing." Read it as a way to keep turning toward God through the day, one sentence at a time.
Tie a short prayer to a moment you already have: before you get out of bed, before a meal, or before you answer someone who is upset. The pause is already in the day.
The Jesus Prayer is one old way to fill that pause. The whole line is, "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner." That is the Jesus Prayer. "Lord, have mercy" is a shorter cry, and it is a different prayer. Use either line, or use your own sentence.
When you have a quiet half hour, use it. The how to pray guide walks through a longer prayer for that kind of time. Until then, the one true sentence is enough.
Name God. Say the need or the thanks in one sentence. Stop. Here it is for one moment: you are about to open a door you have been avoiding.
"Father, I am about to walk into a hard room. Give me a steady mind and true words. Amen."
Keep the opening name and the amen if they help you begin and end. Change the middle sentence so it matches what is actually in front of you.
The Bible keeps a few prayers that are only a handful of words. The verse around each one is longer than the prayer.
Peter saw the wind and began to sink. Matthew 14:30 (KJV) says, "...he cried, saying, Lord, save me." Matthew 14:31 (KJV) continues, "And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him..."
The tax collector in Luke 18:13 (KJV) prayed, "...saying, God be merciful to me a sinner." Jesus' next words, in Luke 18:14 (KJV), are, "I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other..."
Nehemiah was in front of the king, who had just asked what he wanted. Nehemiah 2:4 (KJV) records the prayer this way: "...So I prayed to the God of heaven." The verse does not give the words he used. It tells us he prayed in the middle of the conversation.
The man crucified beside Jesus said, in Luke 23:42 (KJV), "...Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom." Jesus answered, in Luke 23:43 (KJV), "...To day shalt thou be with me in paradise." The King James text prints "To day" as two words.
Thomas, seeing Jesus alive, said, in John 20:28 (KJV), "...My Lord and my God."
Prayer Copilot is free on iPhone if you want a prayer for your own situation.
Get Prayer CopilotA good short prayer for any situation is, "Lord, help me." You named God, you said the need, and you stopped. You can also pray the words Jesus prayed in the garden. Luke 22:42 (KJV) says, "...nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done." Or say a plain "Thank You, God." Say it while your hands are already busy. Matthew 6:7 (KJV) says, "...for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking." A true sentence is a real prayer.
Several prayers in Scripture are a single cry. Peter, as he sank, prayed in Matthew 14:30 (KJV), "...Lord, save me." The tax collector prayed in Luke 18:13 (KJV), "...God be merciful to me a sinner." Jesus said of him, in Luke 18:14 (KJV), "I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other..." Nehemiah, standing before the king, is recorded in Nehemiah 2:4 (KJV): "...So I prayed to the God of heaven." The man crucified beside Jesus prayed in Luke 23:42 (KJV), "...Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom."
Matthew 6:7-8 (KJV) records Jesus' warning about using many words to be heard: "But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him." Some prayers in Scripture are one sentence, and the passage records an answer. Paul wrote, in 1 Thessalonians 5:17 (KJV), "Pray without ceasing." That is a sentence you can come back to between tasks. Use a quiet half hour for a longer prayer. In a crowded hour, say the true sentence and go on.
The Jesus Prayer is, "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner." It is a traditional prayer of the Eastern church. It is not one verse of the Bible. It follows the shape of Gospel cries such as the tax collector's words in Luke 18:13 (KJV), "...God be merciful to me a sinner." "Lord, have mercy" is a shorter cry used in worship. It is not the Jesus Prayer. If you pray the Jesus Prayer, pray the whole sentence. If you pray "Lord, have mercy," that is still a real prayer. Call it by its own name.