5 Hollywood Celebrities Who Talk About the Power of Prayer
By Movieguide® Contributor
Christian celebrities often use their platform to spread the Gospel. From Chris Pratt telling America’s youth to pray to Mark Wahlberg revealing that he starts every day with prayer, these Hollywood celebs discuss their prayer lives on social media and in the press. It’s refreshing for mainstream actresses and actors to be candid about their faith.
Danica McKellar
Fans may remember Danica McKellar as Winnie Cooper from the popular sitcom THE WONDER YEARS. The actress appeared on DANCING WITH THE STARS, numerous Hallmark Movies and found a home starring in GAC Family films. She gave her life to Christ in 2022 and embarked on a journey to read the entire Bible in a year.
McKellar took to an Instagram livestream where she shared her thoughts on the Lord’s Prayer and forgiveness.
“Whether or not you are Christian or whatever your faith is or isn’t, I find something very interesting about the Lord’s Prayer,” McKellar said during the livestream. “There’s praise, there’s asking for things, and there’s one thing that we are going to do in return, and that one thing is that we have to forgive people who’ve done bad things to us.”
“It’s funny because in the entire prayer (and in the Bible, it says that Jesus taught his disciples to pray this way),” McKellar continued, “one thing that we have to do to get all the things that we could possibly want from God is we have to forgive people who’ve been bad to us. And that’s like, one of the hardest things to do, right?”
Roma Downey
Award-winning actress Roma Downey is best known for her role in the TV series TOUCHED BY AN ANGEL. She is featured in the family drama THE BAXTERS and posted a video on Instagram of the characters from the series joining together in prayer, highlighting the need to represent prayerful families in Hollywood.
Roma captioned the post:
“The Baxters remind us that prayer can change your life 🙏🏼 can you remember the last time you saw people praying in a tv series ? Not often right ? So many of you have reached out to say how much you enjoy seeing a family who reflect your values in a tv drama ! Not perfect people , people who struggle like we all do but we don’t often get to see stories about people of faith . My irish dad used to say the family who pray together stay together🙏🏼 prayer can change your life . It changed mine . if you haven’t seen The Baxters yet please check it out on @primevideo #thebaxters #pray #prayer #karenkingsbury #thefamilythatpraystogetherstaystogether”
Mark Wahlberg
Former bad boy Mark Wahlberg may have gotten his start playing objectionable characters in films like BOOGIE NIGHTS and the TED franchise, but he’s dedicated his career to making positive family-friendly content. The actor is a devout Catholic who speaks about his faith often in the press.
Wahlberg was asked during an interview with TODAY about his daily prayer habit and gave a candid response.
“That’s the most important thing,” he said. “I take a day off, I take two days a week off from the gym now. I don’t take a day off from getting on my hands and my knees and reading my prayer book and my daily devotionals and, first of all, expressing the gratitude that I have for all the blessings that have been bestowed upon me. And of course, asking for the strength and the guidance to be able to use the talents and gifts that God’s given me to help others and inspire and know what right is and to do so.”
Chris Pratt
The actor gave an unforgettable acceptance speech when he received the MTV Our Generation Award in which he shared “Nine Rules from Chris Pratt, Generation Award winner.” While much of the speech was scatological humor, he ended numbers 8 and 9 with a reference to praying and sharing the Gospel with America’s youth.
“Number 8: Learn to pray. It’s easy, and it’s so good for your soul,” he said.
“And finally, Number 9: Nobody is perfect. People are going to tell you, “You’re perfect just the way you are.” You’re not! You are imperfect. You always will be. But, there is a powerful force that designed you that way. And if you’re willing to accept that, you will have grace. And grace is a gift.”
“And like the freedom that we enjoy in this country that grace was paid for with somebody else’s blood. Do not forget it. Don’t take it for granted.”
“God bless you.”
Candace Cameron Bure
Candace Cameron Bure is most known as the adorable D.J. Tanner on the popular sitcom FULL HOUSE. The actress is an outspoken Christian in Hollywood who speaks often about her faith. She is the chief creative officer at the Great American Family, a production company dedicated to making faith-based content.
Bure joined her brother Kirk Cameron to share her personal experience with prayer on the series TAKEAWAYS WITH KIRK CAMERON.
“God doesn’t always answer prayers the way we want Him to, but it’s so important [to pray] because it not only connects us to Him but it’s also saying, ‘Lord, I am dependent upon you no matter what happens.’ But if you reach out to Him and you pray and you ask and you’ll be amazed,” Bure said. “If you don’t have a prayerful life or you don’t know how to pray, it’s just talking to God.”