31 Prayer warriors in the Bible and characteristics

The prayer warriors in the Bible are many. In both the Old and New Testament, there are great examples of men and women who stormed heaven for one reason or another. 

I strongly believe this is why they were able to achieve massive breakthroughs and live holy lives. Do you know who these mighty women and men were? 

Who is a prayer warrior

A prayer warrior is a believer who is committed to talking to God about anything and everything, whether on behalf of themselves or others.

Here is a beautiful truth: anyone can be a prayer warrior.

All believers are called to be prayer warriors.

Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. Colossians 4:2

If you look through Scripture you will see that there is no such thing as the gift of prayer.

Praying is not a spiritual gift. 

It would seem that some people are better at it than others but I promise you that you can, by faith, master what prayer warriors do.

What does the Bible say about prayer warriors

There is nowhere in the Bible where it talks about prayer warriors. Nobody seems to know when the term “prayer warrior” became popular.

However, being a prayer warrior is actually biblical. The Bible does describe prayer as being engaged in battle.

Let me share one example. In Romans 15:30 Paul says:

I appeal to you, brothers, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to strive together with me in your prayers to God on my behalf…(ESV)

Paul uses the phrase strive together. In Greek this literally means “to join in a struggle” or “to combat in company with anyone”.

Paul was encouraging the members to join him in the battle of praying. There is an enemy that we cannot contend with on our own. Only God can fight him. When we pray, we give God permission to fight on our behalf.

There are other examples in Scripture but this should do for now. If you wish to becomes a prayer warrior, know that you are being called to spiritual battles.

Examples of powerful prayer warriors in the Bible 

Female prayer warriors in the Bible in the Old Testament 

Hagar 

Early in the Bible we meet Hagar. She endured quite a bit in her life and suffered at the hands of Sarah. But at least twice, God meets her when she is at her lowest and talks with her. Talk about a conversation with God! 

Leah

Leah suffered a lot of stress because of a loveless marriage. She got pregnant 6 times and her statement after the birth of most of her children were born each suggests she had been praying. For example, when her second child was born she named him Simeon, saying “for the Lord has heard that I am unloved…” (Genesis 29:33).

Jochebed

You don’t get to have your baby saved by the princess herself in the middle of a genocide. From the time Moses was born, Jochebed knew through faith that her son had a specific calling on his life. These revelations don’t come without a powerful, faith-filled prayer life.

Hannah

If there was a woman in the Bible who prayed, it was Hannah. Her desperation to become a mom was the driving force behind her fervent prayers.

Deborah

As a judge in Israel, Deborah depended on the power of God for her to make correct judgments. This only happened as she had continued, open communication with God. After the victory in the war against the Caananites, Deborah breaks out in a song of praise which ends with a prayer.

Esther

When trouble comes knocking at her door, Queen Esther’s first course of action was to fast and pray. Through prayer, she was able to go up against an evil civil law meant to destroy her and her people.

Female prayer warriors in the Bible in the New Testament 

Mary the Mother of Jesus

When Gabriel appeared to Mary to tell her she was chosen for a special task, she was startled. But who wouldn’t be? But if heaven can feel comfortable with meeting Mary face-to-face that tells us she was always talking to God. As soon as the angel left, she broke out in prayer and praise.

Elizabeth

When Mary visited Elizabeth, something amazing happened. The Holy Spirit moved upon her and the baby in her womb. Elizabeth clearly lived in prayer with her husband about having a baby. For her to raise a son like John the Baptist, there is no doubt that her prayer life was on fire.

Anna the prophetess

Of all the people at the temple that day, Anna knew who baby Jesus was. Why? Scripture tells us that she spent a whole lot of time at the synagogue in fasting and prayer.

The Canaanite Woman

When her child gets sick, this woman comes to Jesus. She refused to walk away until she got what she needed. There was nothing that Jesus could say to discourage her. She was definitely fighting in prayer for the life of her child.

Male prayer warriors in the Bible in the Old Testament 

Abraham

There was a lot of conversation going on between God and Abraham. One of his outstanding prayers is the one he prayed for Sodom.

Isaac

Isaac grew up in the house of prayer. It was a prayer that brought his wife Rebekah to him. And when she could not get pregnant, he interceded for her. Nine months later Jacob and Esau came kicking and screaming into the world.

Jacob

Over the course of 20 years, Jacob prayed a lot. Through the abuse he faced from Laban, through his struggle with the guilt about stealing his brother’s blessings, and most famously, his wrestling with the angel. 

Elijah

As one of the outstanding prophets of the Old Testament,  Elisha prayed alot. He prayed for no rain and there was a drought then he prayed for rain.  And don’t forget the prayer that raised the Widow’s son from the dead.   

Elisha

Elisha took over from Elijah and he too was a prayer warrior. When his servant was alarmed about the Syrian army surrounding Israel, he prayed that his servant’s eyes be opened to see the chariots of angels ready for battle.  

Moses

Of all the Bible characters after Adam, perhaps Moses had the most conversations with God. Outside of that, he prayed quite a bit. Among the most popular is his prayer to ask God to not destroy the Israelites.

Daniel

Daniel prayed so much it got him in trouble with the haters and landed him in the lions den. But he never stopped praying. Daniel also prayed for the sins of his nation.

David

He wasn’t only an actual warrior who fought in many battles but he was also an outstanding prayer warrior in the Bible. There are countless prayers of his prayers recorded in the Bible. Psalms 24 and 51 are perhaps the most popular.

Solomon

When God asked Solomon what he wanted, his answer still blows away today. That was a prayer. A truly awesome prayer that Solomon prayed was on the opening day for the magnificent temple he built as was foretold by God.

King Jehoshaphat

When this king of Israel heard that an army was coming to attack him, his first action was to proclaim a season of prayer and fasting. He called the people together and as king, he prayed for God to take charge of the battle.

Hezekiah

If you knew you were going to die, what would you pray for? Hezekiah had this situation and he wrestled with God for his life. God granted him 15 more years of life.

Nehemiah

Rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem was no easy task. There were all kinds of problems like he never imagined. But Nehemiah prayed through the process until the massive project was done.

Jabez

His was a bold, audacious prayer. Jabez asked God to bless him and enlarge his territory. It was quite the request.

Jeremiah

Jeremiah struggled alot throughout his ministry but he was kept afloat because he was a prayer warrior. Many of his prayers were for his people, Israel, who were wayward and disobedient

Male prayer warriors in the Bible in the New Testament 

Jesus

It was very common to see Jesus going off into the darkness of the wee hours of the morning to pray. He prayed at the feeding of the 5000, he prayed before raising Lazarus, he prayed for Peter, and he prayed for us who would be left on the earth after he went to heaven, he prayed while hanging on the cross. 

Zacharias

Like Isaac, Zacharias’ wife (Elizabeth) could not get pregnant. His prayers went up very regularly until she got pregnant. 

Steven

This was very hard to believe. As Steven is being stoned to death, he prayed for himself. But more shocking is that he prayed for the very people who were killing him. 

Apostle Paul

It was Paul who ordered the killing of Steven. I guess one could say that Steven’s prayer was answered because Paul was called to ministry after that. Paul prayed while he was struck down and while he was blind. Most of his prayers were for all the early churches to whom he wrote.

Epaphras

Epaphras was an evangelist who worked with Paul during the building of the early church. In Paul’s letter to the Colossians, he mentioned Epaphras. In Colossians 4:12, Paul mentions how this powerful man of God labored in prayer for the believers in Christ.

Peter

Peter was quite the character. But as he achieved spiritual growth, his prayer life took off. He’s popular for praying one of the shortest prayers in the Bible while he was sinking into the water. Peter was in prayer when God prayed him to meet Cornelius.

The Early church

They were in constant prayer because the Apostles were in constant trouble with the law. They prayed for Peter when he was in prison. They prayed about the ministry they had to do during the difficult days. They prayed for the courage to do the work Jesus left them to do. 

Cornelius

He was an unlikely person to be praying and that’s why his was such an amazing story. Cornelius was searching for truth. And so he was in constant prayer. It was during prayer that God showed him what he needed to do to get his answers. God brought him and Peter together.

10 Powerful characteristics of a prayer warrior 

The heart of a prayer warrior can be yours. Here are some specific qualities that you can consider working on.

I have included some prayer warrior Bible verses for you to read and include in your requests to God.

Courageous

Hebrews 14:16: Prayer warriors should be able to approach God boldly. David did this in Psalm 51. Despite his sins, he wasn’t afraid to approach God.

Consistent

Luke 2:37: Anna was at the synagogue praying day and night. 

Persistent in prayer

1 Kings 18:43-44. To be persistent mean to keep doing it over and over. Elijah prayed 7 times until signs of rain appeared. Daniel prayed for 21 days before his answer showed up.

Perseverance

Mark 7:24-30. To persevere means to keep doing it even in difficulty. The Canaanite woman is a good example. She doesn’t stop asking Jesus for help even when it appears that Jesus is insulting her.

Determined

Genesis:32:26. To be determined means to not allow anyone or anything to stop you from getting to your goal. Jacob wrestled for his blessing. Although his hip had been dislocated, that could not stop his prayer. He said, “I will not let you go till you bless me”.

Earnest

Colossians 4:2. When Hannah desperately wanted a baby, her prayers became earnest. Meaning, she became more heartfelt, intense, sincere, solemn, serious, deep, firm, and convicting. Her earnest prayers made the priest think she was drunk.

Strong faith

Matthew 9:21. Jesus said you need faith for effective prayer. The Woman with the issue of blood had such strong faith that she pushed through a stifling crowd to touch Jesus.

Know the Word

1 John 5:14. A part of the armor of God is the Sword of the Spirit and the Belt of Truth. Because prayer warriors know the Word, they can pray according to God’s will. Right after fasting and praying for 40 days, Jesus is attacked by the enemy. He used the Word as his weapon.

Righteous

James 5:16. Prayer warriors live righteous lives. This does not mean they are perfect. It just means they know and understand that Jesus’s life covers them, their sins are forgiven and they are free by faith through grace. For example, if you read through the book of Job, you will see he was confident that his predicament was not because of his sins.

Filled with the Holy Spirit

Romans 8:26-27. Prayer warriors don’t always know how to pray or what to pray. At those times, the Holy Spirit comes in and takes over. And that’s why it’s important to be led by the Spirit. The Holy Spirit takes our paltry prayers and fixes them up or just prays for us altogether.

How do you become a fervent prayer warrior 

The best way to become good at anything is to do the thing and do it often. So, if you want to become a prayer warrior then you have to make praying a habit.

Sounds simple, right?

Being consistent in prayer is the first step

Over and over in the New Testament the message is repeated. Pray without ceasing. (1 Thessalonians 5:17). Be constant in prayer. (Romans 12:12)

Pray about everything

Philippians 4:6-7 urges us to pray about everything instead of being worried.

If you want to be a prayer warrior, make everything something to talk to God about. 

Be earnest in prayer

Prayer is not just a mental exercise. It’s emotional too.

When you pray, truly pour out your honest heart to God. You can’t surprise Him. You can’t burden him. Be your most vulnerable self in your prayers.

Being earnest in prayer also means putting your whole being into it. Prayer takes effort! And ALOT of it.

Earnest prayer stretches you like the muscles of an athlete gets stretched. Remember that when you are interceding in prayer.

Have faith in God

As you become consistent with praying about everything and be honest with God, trust God to do the rest.

Jesus said if you pray in faith, you will get your answers 

Prayer warriors quotes

Here are three quotes about being a prayer warrior.

Feel free to journal around them and pull on Bible verses you know about prayer.

“The true prayer warrior spends more time with his Commander and less time in the battle.” (Don Miller)

We have to pray with our eyes on God, not on the difficulties.  (Oswald Chambers)

Praying always means praying through things and not giving up. It means being ever-watchful and persevering in prayer in order to see breakthrough.

God wants us to be persistent in our praying. (Stormie Omartian)

Follow the example of the prayer warriors in the Bible

The prayer warriors in Scripture give us lots of ways to uplevel our own prayer life.

Study them and follow their examples.

We are all prayer warriors. It is God’s will that all of his children build a solid relationship with him through Bible study and prayer.

If the Scriptures were to be rewritten, would you like to be included as one of the powerful prayer warriors of the Bible?