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Prayer Request Examples for Every Need

These 12 prayer request examples all follow one pattern: name who the prayer is for, then one concrete hope, in a sentence or two and under 300 characters. Copy any of them, change the name, and we will place it on the wishing wall at the House of Virgin Mary, free of charge.

Hasan Gülday with his family in Ephesus

Written by Hasan Gülday · the Gülday family, Ephesus

We live a short drive from the House of Virgin Mary and place every prayer on the wall in person. Published 24 September 2026 · Updated 28 September 2026.

What is a good example of a prayer request?

A good prayer request names one person and one concrete hope in a sentence or two. For example: “For my mother, Teresa, who has surgery on Tuesday: steady hands for her surgeons and peace while she waits.” It is specific enough to pray for and short enough to remember.

The Bible’s own prayer requests work the same way. Writing to the church in Rome, Paul asked believers to “strive together with me in your prayers to God for me,” that he might be “delivered from those who are disobedient in Judea” and “come to you in joy” (Romans 15:30–32). A named danger, then a named hope. Christians have asked each other for prayer like this ever since, and the Catechism calls intercession “asking on behalf of another,” a habit it traces all the way back to Abraham.

12 prayer request examples, grouped by need

The groups follow what people actually pray about. When Lifeway Research asked 1,137 Americans in 2014, 82 percent said they pray for family and friends and 74 percent for their own problems. Every example below is under 300 characters, the limit of our prayer form and roughly the size of a folded note on the wall. The longest is 177.

For illness and surgery

Name the day of the operation or the stage of treatment. “Surgery on Tuesday” gives everyone a date to pray toward, and “chemotherapy” says what kind of strength is needed. The full diagnosis can stay private.

For my mother, Teresa, who has heart surgery on Tuesday morning: steady hands for her surgeons, a quick recovery, and peace for her while she waits. Mother Mary, pray for her.

Illness · 175 characters

Please pray for my friend Daniel, halfway through chemotherapy. Strength for each treatment, an appetite on the good days, and friends who keep showing up on the bad ones.

Illness · 171 characters
An older person’s hands clasped together in prayer, lit by warm light against a plain wall
Hands raised in prayer. For someone who is ill, a name, a date and one hope are enough.

For children and family

For a child, pray for the next step rather than the whole future. For a marriage, write “us”: a prayer for both of you, not a complaint about one.

For our son, Luca, who starts at a new school this month, far from his old friends: one good friend in the first week, and the courage to be himself.

Family · 149 characters

For my husband, Mark, and me, after a hard year: patience with each other, the humility to say sorry first, and the grace to talk again instead of going quiet.

Marriage · 159 characters

For work and money worries

Money is one of the hardest things to ask prayer for out loud. Be concrete about the need, a job or the rent, and add one hope that is not about money, like peace while you wait.

For my brother, Tomasz, out of work since spring: a job that fits his skills, a fair boss, and peace for his family while they wait.

Work · 132 characters

For our family, behind on the rent this winter: enough for the bills each month, wisdom about what to cut, and no shame in asking for help. Thank you for the roof we still have.

Money · 177 characters

For exams

Pray for what a student can actually use on the day: a clear head, rest and calm.

For my granddaughter, Sofia, who takes her final exams in June: a clear head, a good night’s sleep before each exam, and peace with whatever the results bring.

Exams · 159 characters

For travel

Add the date, so you and anyone praying with you remember the day of the journey.

For my daughter, Grace, flying home on the 14th after two years working abroad: a safe journey, no lost bags, and a gentle homecoming for all of us.

Travel · 148 characters

For grief and loss

Use the name of the person who died; saying it is part of mourning. Then pray for the living, because grief is heaviest on the ordinary days after everyone has gone home.

In memory of my father, Joseph, who died in March. Give him rest, and stay close to my mother on the long, quiet evenings.

Grief · 122 characters

For my friend Anna, whose husband died suddenly this spring: strength for the mornings, help with the paperwork, and people who keep calling after the funeral is over.

Grief · 167 characters
Thin candles burning in a covered iron stand on the wet stone courtyard beside the House of Virgin Mary on a misty morning
Candles lit by pilgrims beside the stone walls of the House of Virgin Mary on a misty morning.

For yourself

A prayer request for yourself is not selfish. Paul asked his readers to pray for him in letter after letter. Be as honest about your own need as you would be about a friend’s.

For me, Nadia: I have been anxious for months and I barely sleep. Please pray for one calm night, a doctor who listens, and the courage to keep asking for help.

Yourself · 160 characters

To say thank you

A thank-you is a prayer request too. It asks God to keep the good thing safe, and it remembers the people who are still waiting.

Thank you, Lord, for the scan that came back clear. Keep our family grateful, and stay close to everyone still waiting for good news.

Thanks · 133 characters

How to write a prayer request: three wording tips

If you would rather write your own than borrow one of ours, three habits make almost any prayer request clearer.

A person’s hands folded in prayer, resting on an open book with gilded page edges, against a dark background
Say it once, quietly, in your own words. Then write down what you said.

1. First names only

“Teresa, my mother” is enough. God knows who you mean, and the wishing wall stands in a garden open to every visitor. Leave out surnames, addresses and medical record details.

2. One hope per prayer

It is tempting to list everything. Pick the hope that matters most right now and say it plainly. Jesus warned against “vain repetitions” and reminded his listeners that “your Father knows what things you need before you ask him” (Matthew 6:7–8). A short prayer is not a weaker one, and 300 characters, about 50 words, is plenty.

3. Say thank you too

Paul asked for requests to be made known to God “by prayer and petition with thanksgiving” (Philippians 4:6). Even in a hard week, add one line of thanks: for a kind nurse, a good day, or the people praying with you. A note that is only thanks is welcome too.

Sending your prayer request to the wishing wall

When the words feel right, paste them into the prayer form on our home page, put in the right name, and press send. As you type, your words appear on a small paper note, roughly as they will rest on the wall. Our family carries every prayer up the mountain and places it on the wishing wall in the garden of the House of Virgin Mary on our next regular visit, free of charge and in any language.

The full steps, including sending by e-mail, are in our guide on how to send a prayer request. If you pray every day for someone far away, Paul’s prayers in Ephesians can be said with their name in them, and our page of prayers to the Virgin Mary has the Memorare and the Hail Mary in full.

Young pilgrims standing on the stone path beside the wishing wall below the House of Virgin Mary, where thousands of white paper and cloth prayers are tied along the wall
The wishing wall on the garden path below the House of Virgin Mary. Every knot of paper or cloth is someone’s prayer.

Sources & further reading

Did you know? 🍷

The first request Mary makes in John’s Gospel is three words in Greek: oinon ouk echousin, “They have no wine” (John 2:3). At the wedding in Cana she named the need and left the answer to her Son, which is still a good pattern for a prayer request.

“Continue steadfastly in prayer, watching in it with thanksgiving.”

Colossians 4:2

Questions & Answers

People often ask

How do I write a prayer request for myself? ▾

The same way you would for a friend: your first name, what is happening, and one hope. “For me, Nadia: I have been anxious for months. Please pray for one calm night.” Asking for yourself is not selfish. Paul asked the Romans to “strive together with me in your prayers to God for me” (Romans 15:30).

How do I write a prayer request for healing? ▾

Name the person, the illness or treatment in a few plain words, and what healing would look like this week: a successful operation, less pain, strength for the next round of treatment. Add the date if there is one. The Letter of James asks believers to “pray for one another, that you may be healed” (James 5:16).

What is an unspoken prayer request? ▾

It is a request for prayer without the details, used when a need is too private or too painful to explain. Paul wrote that “we don’t know how to pray as we ought,” but the Spirit “makes intercession for us with groanings which can’t be uttered” (Romans 8:26). You can send one to us: a note that says “For a need I cannot put into words” is placed on the wall like any other.

What are the most common prayer requests? ▾

Prayers for the people closest to us come first. In a 2014 Lifeway Research survey of 1,137 Americans, 82 percent said they pray for family and friends, 74 percent for their own problems and 54 percent about good things happening in their lives. The examples on this page follow the same needs: illness, family, work and money, exams, travel, grief and thanks.

How do I write a prayer request to Mother Mary? ▾

Write to her as you would to your own mother: “Mother Mary, please pray for my son, Luca, as he starts a new school.” Catholic and Orthodox Christians ask Mary to pray for them, as the Hail Mary does: “pray for us sinners.” Our page of prayers to the Virgin Mary has the traditional prayers in full.

Go Deeper

Continue the story

A handwritten prayer note on the wishing wall

How to send a prayer request

What to write, how to send it, and exactly what happens after you press send.

Step by step →
Prayer notes on the wishing wall

The Wishing Wall

Thousands of folded prayers on one wall — the tradition your prayer becomes part of.

Discover the tradition →
Painting of the Virgin Mary praying

Prayers to the Virgin Mary

The Memorare, the Hail Mary, Sub Tuum Praesidium — for help, healing, protection and intercession.

Pray with us →

Pick one, change the name, send it

Copy any example on this page or write your own. We will place it on the wishing wall at the House of Virgin Mary near Ephesus, free of charge, in any language.

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Free · No donations asked · Any language · Placed by our family in person