30 Short Prayers For Hard Times

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Real fast – Pin this article so you can save our list of simple and short prayers for hard times! One of the hardest things for us to do when we are going through a hard season is to pray confidently.

When we’re struggling to hold onto hope the last thing that’s on our minds when we pray is boldness and the little strength we find within ourselves we tend to allocate to our day-to-day responsibilities; instead of our prayer lives. At least; that’s my experience.

I have no idea how David managed to keep such an amazing record of his heartache, worship, and resolve (aka, the book of Psalms), but I admire him for it.

While our first response to hardships may be to questions God’s goodness and His will for our lives, the best response would be to take a hint from people like Moses, David, Joshua, Paul and remind ourselves of the faithfulness of the God we serve.

God’s Promises and Faithfulness

The cool thing about following the examples of these men, and turning to the Bible to remind ourselves of God’s faithfulness, is that His faithfulness establishes our confidence. He designed faith to work that way.

He intends for us to have confidence in who He is and what He says. I believe that why He spends so much time from Genesis to Revelation establishing Himself as the God of covenant and faithfulness. He has always intended to be our hope. The Bible is the track record that leads us to eternal hope in Him.

In Psalm 105:4-6 David writes,

Seek the Lord and His strength, seek His face evermore! Remember His marvelous works which He has done, His wonders, and the judgments of His mouth, O seed of Abraham His servant, You children of Jacob, His chosen one!

I LOVE this advice! It teaches us to elevate God instead of our problems and helps us keep things in perspective and set our eyes on the things that truly matter (Colossians 3:1) How do you keep faith during hard times? Here are three quick suggestions:

1. Set your eyes on the Lord.
2. Remember His Words.
3. Reflect on His faithfulness

And of course, pray. If prayer feels like a struggle for you and you’re wondering, What are some good prayers to pray in this season?” below are some simple prayers and Bible verses to get you started.

Prayers for Someone Going Through A Hard Time

Honestly, I don’t know the exact reasons why God puts us through hard times. Scripture does give us some hints but I think most of us will have to wait until we are in heaven before God Himself to really see the entire picture.

Instead of asking why does God put me through hard times, I’m learning to ask, God, how can I honor you in the midst of this trial. That perspective shift has made such a difference in my life, especially when it comes to prayer. It prepares my heart to respond in worship regardless of the struggle I am facing. As we continue through this article I’ll be highlighting various principles and Bible verses about praying during hard times and showing you how you can use those scriptures to inspire simple and genuine prayers that will keep your eyes on the Lord while you work through the challenging seasons of life.

But first, I’d like to share this prayer for you from my friend Ifeoma at Purposeful and Meaningful

30+ Prayers for When Life Gets Hard

• Lord, be our peace.
• Fill us with Your Spirit. This is one of those prayers that may seem simple, but it actually a very powerful prayer. When Holy Spirit settles on us we are never the same. He cultivates in us the wisdom and character that reflects Him. Galatians 5:22- 23 reads, But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things, there is no law.” When we ask God to fill us with His Spirit, we are asking Him to change us; to make us more like Him. What’s really cool, is that God promises He will do it. So we’re no longer dealing with hard things in our own strength, we allow Him to produce the strength and character He desires to see in us. So in the midst of conflict, we can be a light. The prayers that invite God to change us are very powerful prayers.
• Lead us in wisdom (see James 1:5).
• Remind me who I represent (spoiler alert: the answer is Jesus). What I love about this prayer is that it prioritizes what God honors over what culture accepts. Sometimes in the midst of conflict, we need that reality check. We represent Him, His love, and His kingdom above everything else. Instead of strife, we put on peace and choose to turn the other cheek. We seek opportunities to serve instead of demanding to be served. We love intentionally and selflessly. Even when (according to the world) we have the right not to.
• Remind me to delight in you and your ways (see Psalm 1:1-3).
• Help me be content where you have positioned me (see Philippians 4:13).

Prayers for my family in difficult times.

• Keep up moving towards you and moving towards each other. The bulk of this lesson I learned through Danny Silk’s book, Keep Your Love On, but it is repeated throughout scripture too. Unity in our families is so important but more important than being united to each other is being yoked to the Lord. When hardship falls on the family, family dynamics tend to change. This is a simple prayer asking the Lord to help us be mindful of loving each other (even when it’s hard) and clinging to Him (no matter how hard it gets).
• Fill our hearts with your peace. Nothing wears down our hope like an anxious heart. When it comes to family it’s all too easy to feed off each other’s anxieties. If you begin to notice this happening in your home or family, be quick to pray about it. There will likely be practical steps you take at home to keep the peace but look to the Lord to be the long-term solution for peace in your home. I wrote an article a year or so ago; it walks readers through how to use the Bible to battle anxiety You can use this same concept to create simple prayers for family peace and strength. These peace and strength Bible verses can help you get started:
• Be our strength.
• Keep us courageous. One of the phrases I see time and time again when I read the Old Testament is the phrase, “Be courageous.” It was usually spoken to newly appointed leaders or to leaders taking on new and intimidating tasks. It reminded them that no matter how hard it appears to be, we can accomplish the things God asks of us. I believe that is still true today. If you need a simple (yet powerful) prayer for strength and courage during difficult times; simply pray, Lord, keep us courageous.
• Provide for us. This was the heart of Hagar’s prayer as she and her son wandered alone through the wilderness, exiled from their family. We don’t typically talk about Hagar’s story; probably because she wasn’t one of the women in the lineage of Jesus and she didn’t do anything heroic or “noteworthy” like save a nation – but I appreciate her story because at the very least it points to God’s presence and provision in the midst of our adversities. It is in this story that we first hear God described as. “El Roi” the God Who Sees (see Genesis 16:13).

Prayers for Comfort in Loss.

Prayer of comfort is the prayer given at given to bless and comfort those who are grieving. Prior to death, it can also include prayers for peace and comfort for the dying. What I appreciate about so many of these prayers is that they tend to lead us directly into the loving arms of God. The following are short prayers and phrases that you might hear in a prayer of comfort.

• God, remind us that You are near. The loss of a loved one is often accompanied by loneliness. Even if we aren’t actually alone, that void sure makes its presence known. In those moments it’s important to remind ourselves that though our feelings are real, they are not always true. God is near the brokenhearted. If we know the Lord, we are not alone. It might take a while for that reality to sink in, but if we continue seeking God even in our hurt, He will make His presence known to us (see Deuteronomy 4:29 and Matthew 7:7)
• Send us Your comfort.
• Bring us joy.
• Keep us Kingdom-focused. It’s hard to keep a kingdom perspective in the midst of grieving. If the loved one you lost had a relationship with Jesus, Philippians 1:21 can give you a subtle dose of hope and perspective. Unfortunately, many of us will experience the loss of people who didn’t have a relationship with Jesus. That’s a different kind of pain and it’s hard. Even then, we have the hope of Emmanuel, “God with us.” and we can pray that even in our hurt God would help us point people towards Him.
• Be my hope.
• Lord, give me strength.
• Heal my hurt.
• Mend what has been broken.
• God, thank you for my family.

Prayers for the Sick

I have no doubt in my mind that God can heal anything. At the same time, I also know not everyone receives healing this side of heaven; and even the healthiest people have an appointed time to die. Knowing that, when it comes to praying for the sick, one of the prayers I believe we should prioritize is the prayer for salvation.

Jesus sets this example for us in Mark 2:1-12. There was a man described as a paralytic who was brought to Jesus. His friends laid him on stretchers and took him to where Jesus was. When they saw how great the crowds were they decided to take another route to get to Jesus. They took their friend (still on the stretcher) climbed to the roof of the home and lowered him through the roof to Jesus. Instead of healing the man, when Jesus saw him and the faith of his friends He said, “Son, your sins are forgiven you.”

Now Jesus isn’t blind. He knew these men were seeking healing. But instead of giving them something that would last a moment, He gave him something that would go with him into eternity. It wasn’t until the Pharisees question Jesus’ authority to forgive that Jesus went on to heal the man (see Mark 2:9-12).

Above being physically well, God wants to ensure we are spiritually well. We want our loved ones to live a full life; but more importantly, we want them to gain ETERNAL life. So when praying for the sick, if they don’t know the Lord, this is the perfect time to intercede for them and their salvation. Below are a few simple prayers for healing (of body and the soul) for you can pray for yourself or others who are sick and need hope.

• Lord, if they don’t already have a relationship with You, give them the desire to seek You and find you.
• Give them ears to hear the truth and the heart to accept it.
• Thank you for the strength to accomplish all you have for me today.
• Give me rest.
• Remind me of Your faithfulness.
• Restore my hope.
• Heal my body.
• Help me trust You in this trial. 

Prayers for the Impossible to be the Impossible.

In addition to prayer for strength during difficult and trying times, a prayer I find myself praying often in trials is for God to make the impossible, possible. I don’t believe there is a request we could name that is too big for God. So many times throughout the Bible we witness Him doing the impossible.

In Genesis, He parted the waters of the Red Sea so that hundreds of thousands of Israelites could walk through dry with their families, flocks, and possessions (Exodus 12-15).

The gospels show us Jesus raising people from the dead (John 11:38-44, Luke 4:38-40, Mark 5:21-33).

In Ezekiel God prophesied that He would build an army (a nation) out of dry bones (Ezekiel 37). He would revive a nation that had been spiritually dead and physically trampled and oppressed.

Is there anything too hard for our God? Nope! Not in the slightest. When the request seems big and you can’t find the words, try these short but powerful prayers.

• God, I’m waiting on You to do the impossible.
• Use this for your glory.
• Do more with this circumstance than I could ever imagine.

In the words of Mercy Me,

“ I know you’re able and I know You can, save through the fire with Your mighty hand but even if you don’t my hope is in You alone.

Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen.

Ephesians 3:20-21

You may also appreciate: A Woman’s Guide to Steadfast Prayer

A Prayer Of Gratitude

It’s amazing how gratitude and thanksgiving can change our perspectives. When you’re spirit needs renewing, some of the best prayers to pray are short prayers of thanks. I like to write these short prayers down in my prayer and gratitude journal so I have them to look back on should I ever need a boost in faith. It’s like my own personal track record of God’s faithfulness. Below are a couple of examples of simple prayers of thanksgiving. Check out this post for more ways to use a prayer journal. 

• God, thank you for my family.
• Thank you for this meal.
• I praise you for this moment.
• God, thank you for listening.
• Thank you for upholding me.

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