Prayers For Hard Times – 5 Prayers For Strength During Hard Times
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Life is full of twists and turns, and God is with us in both good times and bad times. When something doesn’t go to plan, prayer can allow us to see the wider picture and be soothed by God’s love.
These 5 prayers will benefit you if you are in need of comfort, assistance, or wisdom, if you are anxious or have suffered a loss, or if you are confronting uncertainty. We hope that you find them as uplifting as we did.
John 16:33
Spirit of Creation, God of All,
I don’t understand you, I don’t even know if I believe in you, but this is my cry to you, whoever you are, I figure if you are as big as people say you are, you are not going to be offended if I get things wrong.
My life feels messy, things are not going smoothly at all.
Some of it I have done, some of it has been done to me, some of it just seems to have happened.
Sometimes I feel angry, sometimes shame.
And sometimes, to tell you the truth, I feel nothing at all.
I could use some help through these tough times, I am open to receiving help from any source that has my wellbeing in mind.
Please, place good people, kind people, along my path.
Please God, help me have the wisdom to make the right choices.
This is my cry to you. In Jesus’ name,
Amen.
This prayer verse is inspired by John 16:33 and works wonderfully as a prayer of comfort during troubling or trying times. The verse starts with unease, highlighting the writer’s apprehension of God.
This uncertainty is most prevalent during hard times, as we can begin to question God’s intention for our lives, especially if we believe that he is somehow punishing us.
This prayer is a very clear cry for help and can be useful when turning to God for guidance.
God understands that life’s ups and downs can leave us questioning our faith, but these are probably the most important times in our lives – as we begin to learn how the Lord works, we realize he may not always work in our favor.
I’m needing some comfort right now. My heart is breaking.
I’ve lost my loved one. My life feels kind of strange, all upside down.
My words feel like they have no strength, I have lost my confidence.
Some days I wake up and for a moment I feel happy to be alive, but this is always followed by deep guilt for having those thoughts and I sink again.
Sorrow has kind of become a friend, a companion – ever-present.
My prayer to you is that you will help grief do its work for me, and when it is done I pray that the wound of loss will heal.
I want one day to welcome these memories without this depth of pain. To welcome thoughts of my loved one with a small smile, with love.
Please God, help me heal.
Amen
This prayer is appropriate for those who are suffering from grief and the loss of a loved one. It does a wonderful job at describing the fluctuating emotions associated with grief and helps to highlight the complexity and conflict of emotions that inevitably arise in the aftermath.
When we are experiencing sorrow, it is easy to get caught up in the negative aspects of it, and often makes us overlook the joy and wonders of life, as well as the happiness and comfort that remembering a loved one can bring.
The writer describes their feelings of grief as a “companion”, something that is always there. This can make it easy to forget that God is also always there, and he too acts as your companion, even when you feel lost or alone.
The prayer ends on a hopeful and more positive note, stating the desire for happy memories without any pain or feelings of loss. Of course, this takes time, and it will never happen overnight.
I am facing such hard times, times that have become much more difficult with each passing day, and at times I get quite anxious and afraid, wondering how we are going to manage.
Lord, I know that You have promised to care for all Your children, but there are so many, I don’t understand how You can care for us all.
Nevertheless, I want to trust You to keep Your Word because You have promised, and You are faithful to keep Your promises.
Thank You, Lord, that You are my light and my salvation.
I know that there is nothing to worry about when You are my strength and stay.
Lord, I believe that there is nothing that You cannot do.
Please help my unbelief Lord Jesus, for I know that when You are the stronghold of my life there is nothing of which to be afraid.
The prayer starts with apprehension and the writer highlights their confusion surrounding the Lord’s power. They can see all of the negativity and tragedy in the world, and realize it’s a huge burden to carry.
So, understandably, we can sometimes find ourselves doubting how the Lord can address it all, as there’s just so much of it. This is a common feeling that many people experience during difficult times and periods of loss and grief.
How can God have enough time to care for everyone? Who could possibly be capable of carrying such a burden?
Nevertheless, the second half of the prayer explores the ideas of hope and faith, regardless of what struggles we may be facing.
Although we can often feel conflicted about the Lord’s presence, it can be comforting to remember that he made a promise, and he will always keep his promises.
Near the end of the prayer, we can see that the writer’s faith has been restored. It ends by asking God for guidance when struggling with disbelief and lack of faith. Using a prayer such as this one when we feel lost or confused can help to ground us and remind us of the reality— God is here with you, so there is nothing to be afraid of.
In Times Of Difficulty
Dear Lord,
In this time of uncertainty,
Be my rock in a world built on sand;
Be my oasis of grace and peace in a world filled with tension and turmoil;
Help me to carry my cross gracefully, as you did in Your Passion;
Help me to follow Your beam of light in the midst of this darkness;
Help me to see Your will in all things
And show others Your comfort and strength.
Keep me calm when tempers flare up;
Keep me sane in a crazy world;
Keep me focused on the houses in Heaven
rather than the houses of cards collapsing around me;
Keep my eyes focused on the prize of Heaven
and not lose hope in You in this world or in the world to come;
Make me compassionate in dealing with others;
Let me see my travails as carrying my cross and sharing in Your Passion, for the love of You and for the salvation of souls, including mine.
And may all my difficulties be ultimately for my good and Your glory.
Amen.
We couldn’t make a list of the best prayers for strength during hard times without including this one. We love its raw honesty, and we think it’s pretty relatable for anyone going through something troubling. The writer opens up about their thoughts and feelings and allows themselves to be completely vulnerable in front of God.
Persist in the understanding that He loves us and wishes to embrace our hardships to improve us emotionally and spiritually if we allow him to.
Offer Him your worries and beg for His blessings with yourself and your nearest and dearest. Our sorrows and misery do not have to be in vain or pointless if we hand them over to our Lord for our benefit and redemption.
With the exception of love, we can all survive with much less of everything. This is a moment to be more compassionate toward people wherever possible and to resist sentiments of resentment for being mistreated.
This prayer reminds us that we can often focus on the wrong things, and these things are often material items – such as big houses, fancy cars, and a good salary. But God advises against worrying about such things.
We learn in scripture over and again about the need of keeping our devotion centered on the Creator instead of the created, and not becoming too connected to the material world. By doing so, we can demonstrate genuine love and care for one another.
Challenging Times
Lord,
Help me to trust in you with all my heart and not lean on my own understanding but in all my ways submit to you.
Make my paths straight and guide me down the right path.
I know in this life there will be times of suffering and hardship but help me take heart because I know you have overcome the world.
Give me the courage to face the challenges that come.
Help me to persevere and not give up. Give me the strength to face these storms.
Pour out your peace over me and keep me in your perfect peace.
I want to always look to you when trials come.
Instead of blaming you or looking elsewhere for the answers, I want to look to you and trust completely in you.
This is hard to do but I ask you to help me surrender everything to you…my emotions, my thoughts, my actions, control.
Thank you, Lord Jesus, for your help through this extremely difficult time.
I know you’ve got this, and you’ve got me!
I praise you and I put all of my faith and trust in you.
Thank you, God, for hearing and answering my prayer.
In Jesus Name,
Amen.
This prayer addresses many of the feelings we may experience during difficult times, such as anger, grief, confusion, and apprehension.
We are the ones that limit Him since we lack belief and are afraid of stepping out in faith. The fact is that the actions we do for God should be beyond our own abilities and should be done with faith in God’s extraordinary capacity.
When we turn away from God’s dependency and trust, we are not living by faith. He desires that we believe and follow his word. He desires that we be powerful and bold.
We must be willing to do things so great that unless God intervenes, we will almost certainly fail.
This is the kind of faith and reliance He desires in our lives. We don’t need to be rocked. He has the ability to overcome any difficulty.
The prayer ends on a more positive note, as we begin to realize that whatever it is we’re going through, it is a waste of time and energy to dwell on it. We cannot change what has been done, and we are powerless over the future – it is up to the Lord to decide, and he will always do what is right.
Remember, if you’re tired or worn out, He hears you. You are not by yourself. You have not been abandoned. Whatever the situation, he is there with you. He is engaged and traveling in your direction. In Him, you can discover support and sanctuary.
He is that towering rock to which you could always turn to when you are overwhelmed in order to find your way out.
