I developed a “Praying Through Song” workshop for a Women’s Retreat focusing on songs as a method of prayer. Have you ever considered singing songs as a form of prayer? The Psalms in the Bible were all originally writen as songs, and they are very powerful cries to God!
In this post I’ll give you a list of songs that you can sing or listen to as a prayer. I’ve grouped them using the ACTS Method. ACTS stands for “Adoration” “Confession” “Thanksgiving” “Supplication” and it’s an outline for the things we can pray about. For each category I’ll list a few songs that can be used to increase and/or improve your prayer time.
Adoration
- “What a Beautiful Name” – Hillsong Worship
A powerful declaration of Jesus’ beauty, power, and majesty
- “How Great Is Our God” – Chris Tomlin
A timeless anthem exalting God’s greatness and glory
- “Here I Am to Worship” – Tim Hughes
A humble invitation to bow down and adore the One who gave all
- “Holy, Holy, Holy” – Reginald Heber
A majestic hymn glorifying the holiness and eternal nature of God
- “How Great Thou Art” – Carl Boberg/Stuart K. Hine
A song of awe before God’s creation, power, and salvation
Confession
- “Lord, I Need You” – Matt Maher
A heartfelt cry for mercy and dependence on God’s grace
Scripture References: Psalm 51:10, James 4:8
- “Broken Vessels (Amazing Grace)” – Hillsong Worship
Acknowledges our brokenness and celebrates the grace that makes us whole
Scripture Reference: 2 Corinthians 12:9
- “Forgive Me” – Tasha Cobbs Leonard
A soulful confession asking God to wash away sin and restore intimacy with Him
Scripture Reference: 1 John 1:9
- “Just As I am” – Charlotte Elliott
A timeless hymn of repentance and surrender, coming to Christ without pretense
Scripture Reference: Romans 5:8
- “I Surrender All” – Judson W. Van DeVenter
A declaration of yielding every part of life to God’s will
Scripture Reference: Luke 9:23
Thanks, Thankfulness, Thanksgiving
- “Gratitude” – Brandon Lake
A raw, heartfelt expression of thanksgiving when words fall short
Scripture Reference: Psalm 103:1-2
- “Thank You Jesus for the Blood” – Charity Gyle
Thanks God for salvation and the cleansing power of Christ’s blood
Scripture Reference: Ephesians 1:7
- “Give Thanks” – Don Moen
A classic worship chorus of gratitude to the Holy One
Scripture Reference: 1 Thessalonians 5:18
- “Now Thank We All Our God” – Martin Rinkart
A hymn of deep gratitude, written during hardship and loss
Scripture Reference: Philippians 4:6-7
- “Count Your Blessings” – Johnson Oatman Jr.
Encourages believers to name and remember every blessing
Scripture Reference: Psalm 77:11-12
Supplication, Requests
- “I Need Thee Every Hour” – Annie S. Hawks
A timeless prayer for God’s constant nearness and help
Scripture reference: Psalm 70:1
- “Abide With Me” – Henry F. Lyte
A tender plea for God’s presence through life’s trials and the approach of death
Scripture Reference: Psalm 23:4
- “Guid Me, O Thou Great Jehovah” – William Williams
A pilgrim’s prayer for divine guidance and strength on life’s journey
Scripture Reference: Exodus 13:21-22
- “Take My Hand, Precious Lord” – Thomas A. Dorsey
A heartfelt cry for God’s hand to lead through pain and uncertainty
Scripture Reference: Isaiah 41:13
- “Hear My Cry, O Lord” – Maranatha Music/Traditional Psalm Setting
A direct plea from the Psalms for God to listen and respond
Scripture Reference: Psalm 61:1-2
Praying using the ACTS method guides us to place God first, rather than quickly moving in for the “I need” list we often see as the reason for prayer. When we confess our shortcomings we humble ourselves before God and there is a change of heart attitude. This can so easily turn into thanksgiving for what we do have. When we’ve acknowledged the greatness of God, just for being God and we change our hearts to be humbled and thankful before God, the “what we ask for” changes as well.
If you’re not a song person, you can do the very same prayer process using scripture. Many songs have their origin in scripture as listed above. You can type in a search for additional “scriptures of adoration” (confession, thanksgiving or supplication).
Prayer is a communication tool. The other side of us speaking or singing is to listen. God does let His presence be known during our prayer time when we take time to “Be still and know (recognize, understand) that I am God” (Psalm 46:10a AMP). Let’s think about prayer as a two-way communication between ourselves and God, our Father and our Creator, rather than a performance or demonstrated skill that must be performed.
Sign up to receive more hope from HOPE 100.7 via email.
"*" indicates required fields
For more thought-provoking topics, tune in to Hope 100.7.
God bless you. Stay hopeful! ❤️
