While faith apps race to build chatbot versions of Jesus, a Jacksonville father's prayer app has recorded more than 2,500 spoken prayers and reached nearly 2 million people without a single celebrity endorsement
JACKSONVILLE, FL / ACCESS Newswire / April 2, 2026 / In a week when Israeli police blocked the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem from entering the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and Pope Leo XIV prepares to celebrate his first Easter as the first American pope, a small app out of Jacksonville is making a quiet argument: prayer does not need a building, a celebrity, or a chatbot. It just needs your voice.
ThyWord is a voice first prayer companion that listens when you pray out loud and matches you with a Bible passage that speaks to what you are feeling. Since launching on Ash Wednesday, February 18, 2026, the app has recorded more than 2,500 spoken prayers from more than 1,250 users, with more than 1,200 in the last seven days alone. Gratitude is the most common emotion expressed heading into Easter weekend, followed by Spiritual Growth, Healing, and Strength. On social media, ThyWord's content has reached nearly 2 million accounts in 30 days, with a single Scripture post generating over 275,000 views.
The growth comes at a moment when the Barna Group reports that nearly a third of American adults trust spiritual advice from AI as much as advice from a pastor, and four in ten practicing Christians say AI has helped them with prayer or Bible study. Yet only 12 percent of pastors feel comfortable teaching about AI in their congregations. Into that gap, a wave of apps has arrived offering chatbots that simulate conversations with biblical figures. ThyWord takes the opposite approach.
"Other apps ask you to text a chatbot or listen to a celebrity guide your meditation," said Ajith Joseph, Founder and CEO of ThyWord Inc. "We built something different. ThyWord listens when you pray out loud and surfaces a Scripture that speaks to what you're feeling. No AI pretending to be God. Just you talking to the one who's always been
listening."
A respected endocrinologist called it "a divine app" that helps her connect with God during her busiest days. A mother of a child on the autism spectrum was moved to tears during her first prayer session.
A grandmother's prayer. An engineer's answer.
In a faith app market where the largest players have raised over $100 million and run Super Bowl ads, ThyWord started with a much simpler origin. Joseph's grandmother prayed every day of her life and told the family that at least one person should spend time in God's presence daily. That conviction followed him across continents and career changes, but he could never live up to it consistently - not with four children and a demanding career. The idea arrived at 3 AM on a sleepless night, born from a simple realization: his spiritual life had been reduced to one hour on Sunday morning, then six days of silence.
"I call it the six days between Sundays problem," Joseph said. "You leave church feeling connected. By Monday afternoon the noise has pushed that feeling aside. By Friday it's gone. ThyWord exists for the Tuesday afternoon, not the Sunday morning."
About ThyWord Inc.
ThyWord Inc. is a Jacksonville based company building a voice first prayer companion app for Christians. Founded by Ajith Joseph, a seasoned technology entrepreneur and father of four who previously built and sold an enterprise software platform before turning his attention to faith. Previously featured in Crosswalk.com and syndicated across Salem Media radio stations.
Available on the App Store and Google Play.
App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/thyword-prayer-scripture/id6758917669
Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.thywordinc.thyword
Free to download at https://app.thywordapp.com/download
Learn more at thywordapp.com.
Media Contact
Ajith Joseph, Founder and CEO
ThyWord Inc.
press@thywordapp.com | (904) 678-1735
thywordapp.com
SOURCE: ThyWord Inc.
View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire:
https://www.accessnewswire.com/newsroom/en/computers-technology-and-internet/everyone-is-building-ai-that-talks-like-god.-one-engineer-built-s-1154658
