Praying for Prisoners

Become a faithful prayer warrior lifting up the needs of prisoners and speaking blessings into their lives.

For any prison ministry to be truly effective, it must have a solid foundation of prayer. In prayer we call upon God for resources that He alone can provide in our battle against the spiritual forces of darkness.

If you are part of an in-prison ministry, you know that prisoners have many prayer needs. They desperately want prayer for themselves, their families, and their future reentry back into society. All you have to do is say, “May I pray for you?” Prayer touches the deepest hurts of those who feel so lost, lonely, and unwanted by the world.

Every in-prison ministry team needs prayer warriors lifting up the needs of the prisoners as well as ministry volunteers. But prayer ministry for prisoners does not require going to the prison. Even if you’ve never been inside a prison or jail, you can be a prayer warrior interceding before the throne of God for those who are incarcerated.

You can simply gather at a friend’s house with a few other intercessors and pray for prisoners. If your church has a prison ministry, ask them to start sending you the prayer requests so you can lift them before the Lord.

Even when you don’t know specific needs to pray for, you can seek God’s power and provision for a variety of general needs.

Want to encourage people to pray for prisoners? Download and share this prayer list with others in your church or with anyone you know who feels called to intercessory prayer. Here is a list of common prayer needs of prisoners.

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PRAYER NEEDS OF PRISONERS

THEIR RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD

Pray for prisoners and their relationship with God, that they would:

• Experience His love
• Accept Christ as Savior
• Allow God to work in them and accomplish His purpose in their lives
• Earnestly seek God and get involved with chapel services and other Christian programming offered within the prison

GODLY ATTRIBUTES

Pray for prisoners to grow in godly attributes, that they would:

• Respect the authority of the prison staff
• Be able to control their temper
• Exhibit the fruit of the Spirit
• Experience genuine remorse for the harm they have caused their victims, and that they would seek to make amends as appropriate and possible

THEIR RELATIONSHIPS WITH THEIR FAMILIES

Pray for prisoners’ relationships with their families, that they will:

• Be committed to keeping in touch with their spouse and children
• Be able to maintain a strong connection with their family, despite being separated
• Experience reconciliation in strained or broken relationships

THEIR RELATIONSHIPS WITH OTHER PRISONERS

Pray for prisoners and their relationships with other prisoners, that they will:

• Make godly friends to support and encourage them
• Stay away from harmful associations that will lead them astray
• Be a friend to the lonely, the discouraged, the lost

THEIR PROTECTION

Pray for prisoners‘ protection, that they would:

• Resist the snares of the evil one, Satan
• Shun drugs and other types of contraband that get into prison
• Be safe from sexual assault and other forms of victimization
• Be healthy and free from serious illness

THEIR FUTURE

Pray for prisoners and their future, that they would:

• Take advantage of prison programs to enhance their educational and vocational skills
• Be wise in the use of their God-given talents
• Seek the wisdom and resources they need to adjust to reentering society: job, housing, supportive friends, etc.

THEIR SPIRITUAL MATURITY

Pray that Christian prisoners will:

• Remain strong in their faith
• Find a volunteer mentor to encourage and disciple them
• Have strength and courage to witness to other prisoners
• Resist temptations and remain good role models