10 Empowering Prayers for Strength and Wisdom
Our little boy presses his face to mine in the silence of the night, and I drink it in. He’s inching ever closer to his fourth year, and I wonder how it’s all going so fast. It seems like just yesterday I was uttering prayers for strength and wisdom as the doctor pulled him from my body.
We rock long into the early hours of a new day, and every time I try to put him down, he says, “Hold me one more minute.”
I don’t have the heart to put him back in bed with this fever, this cough wracking his little body. I’m content to hold him through it.
A vireo sings its morning serenade out the window before the light starts slipping through the blinds. Dawn is rising with all its expectations and demands. I should put him down and find sleep.
He senses my upward movement and clings to my neck in a desperate grasp, and I sink into the chair again. I put my feet on the stool and lean into him, closing my eyes in this tender place of comfort. I’m reminded of Isaiah’s words to God’s people: “As one whom his mother comforts, so I will comfort you” (Isaiah 66:13).
My mind traces the footprints of the past year: The losses our family has endured, the waves of grief we’ve faced, the health troubles and financial strain, and the difficulty of it all.
You’ve certainly faced a few strains of your own this past year. I don’t know what they looked like, but I know I’m not the only one who has wrestled with God in the midnight hour. I’m not the only one who has lifted countless prayers for strength in life’s trying times.
Prayers for Strength and Wisdom
What are we to do when the darkness comes and we’re left alone with our fears, pain, and unmet expectations? What do we do when life is hard, and we’re not quite sure how to keep putting one foot in front of the other?
It’s tempting to call a friend, send a text, or ask for the advice of a mentor. There is a time for all of this. But above all this, before all this, God is waiting for us to turn to him first when life gets hard.
We need to reject the truisms that say, “When all else fails, pray,” or “All we can do now is pray.”
Pray first.
Turn to God first when the storm blows in.
Keep looking for his face while the tempest rages. And don’t look away when the storm clouds finally lift. He promises peace to those who stay fixed on him.
Biblical Prayers for Strength and Wisdom
When life is hard, God’s Word is an anchor and source of strength. Here, we find truths to replace the lies that float through our minds.
Lies like, “I’m never going to make it through this trial,” are replaced by truths like, “I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength” (Philippians 4:13).
Lies like “I’m not equipped for this” are replaced by truths like, “God’s power is perfected in my weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9).
The last words Jesus spoke before he ascended into heaven were, “I am with you, even until the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20). He came to us as Immanuel, God with us, and he left us with the reminder that he is still Immanuel.
Let’s turn to God’s Word as we pray 10 powerful prayers for strength and wisdom today.
10 Prayers for Strength and Wisdom
1. Thank God that he will never leave you.
“Father, thank you for the promise to never leave me nor forsake me. I cling to this promise. Help me find peace in your presence when I need strength and wisdom.”
Deuteronomy 31:6 reminds us, “He will not leave you or forsake you” (ESV).
Do you need strength? Thank God for his promise to stay with you always.
He will never leave you. He will never abandon you. Find your strength in this promise. Put your hope in the promise of his nearness.
Do you need strength? Thank God for his promise to stay with you always. He will never leave you. He will never abandon you. Find your strength in this promise. #prayer #God #strength Share on X2. Thank God for being your shelter.
“Father, thank you for being my shelter, my refuge, and my fortress. Thank you that I find protection in the shelter of your wings. I turn to you as my source of refuge today.”
God promises to be a shelter (Psalm 91:1). He offers rest in the shadow of his wings (Psalm 63:7).
He promises to fill me with streams of Living Water (John 7:38).
Thank God for being your shelter in times of weakness. You will soon find him answering your prayer with his ever-present provision.
3. Thank God for his comfort.
“Father, thank you for comforting me in the same way a mother comforts her child. I lean into your comfort today and ask you to meet me here and bring me peace.”
A child leans into his mother’s safe arms and finds security in her presence. He finds strength because he trusts his mother. We find strength in God when we place our full trust in the security of his everlasting arms.
4. Thank God that he is strong when you are weak.
“Lord, thank you that when I feel weak, you are strong. Please work in my life to reveal your perfect power in my weakest and most broken moments. I eagerly look to you for strength to endure.”
Second Corinthians 12:9 reads, “But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me” (NIV).
Do you want to experience God’s power? Embrace your weakness as the perfect backdrop for him to reveal his power in your life.
5. Thank God for giving you all you need to walk with him and live a godly life.
“Father, you have promised that your divine power has given me everything I need for godliness. I look to you and receive your strength in my weakness. Thank you for being my Protector, Provider, Strength, and Shield. Amen.”
Second Peter 1:3 offers this reminder: “His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.”
We can claim this promise as we walk by faith.
6. Thank God for being your strength, song, and salvation.
“God, thank you for sending your Son to take the punishment for my sins when he died on the cross. Your love for me amazes me. Thank you, also, for continuing to deliver me. Thank you for being my strength, my song, and my salvation.”
Psalm 118:4 leads us to thank God for the following promise: “The LORD is my strength and my song, and He has become my salvation.”
We receive God’s salvation and the promise of eternal life by receiving Jesus as our Savior and Leader. But Jesus continues to deliver us from sinful habits and spiritual attacks throughout our lives. He is our strength, our song, and our salvation.
7. Thank God that nothing is too hard for him.
“Lord God, when life is difficult for me, I cling to the promise that nothing is too hard for you. No situation is beyond your control. Nothing is so far gone that it cannot be redeemed and made new by you. I trust you to carry my burdens and work in my life.”
Does some situation in your life feel like it is too difficult for even God to intervene? Nothing is too hard for God.
Jeremiah 32:17 reminds us: “Ah, Sovereign LORD, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for you.”
8. Thank God that he gives wisdom to those who ask for it.
“Father, thank you for the promise that you give wisdom to those who seek it from you. Please fill me with your divine wisdom today.”
James 1:5 reads, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.”
Thank God that he will give you wisdom as you seek it from him.
9. Thank God that nothing can every take his love away from you.
“God, no matter how hopeless I feel, nothing can separate me from your love. You are my anchor, my true identity, and my source of strength. No power in all the world can take your love from me.”
We find this promise here: “For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38-39).
Nothing can ever take God’s love away from you. Cling to this on the darkest days.
10. Thank God for carrying your burdens.
“Father God, thank you for the invitation to bring my burdens to you. Today, I bring you the following burdens:___________(name anything that is on your mind, including worries, fears, doubts, and concerns). Thank you for lifting these burdens from my shoulders. I trust in you to handle these situations as you work in my life.”
God hears the prayers of his children. He also wants us to bring our burdens to him (see Matthew 11:28-30). When we bring him our burdens, he helps us live in a way that is lighter.
Don’t Stop Praying Prayers for Strength and Wisdom
I hold my child until well after daybreak, drifting in and out of sleep with him. When the sun shines high above the tree line, we make our way downstairs and plant ourselves on the couch.
Somehow, comforting him feels like a divine assignment, and I know that it is.
He sleeps off and on throughout the day, and I drift in and out of thoughts of my Lord and God. I put off my to-do list and focus on loving well in the moment.
When dusk falls late in the evening, I put my boy in his bed, and he sleeps soundly. I brush my fingers across his cheek and offer a prayer to the Lord of my life. May I not forget the most important part of my life: To draw near to my God and seek his face always (James 4:8, Psalm 27:8).
If these prayers for strength and wisdom blessed you, I invite you to explore our devotional book and library of free online devotionals and eBooks. Be blessed as you draw near to the source of all strength and wisdom!
Calling All Parents and Grandparents!
As the parent of two sons and a daughter, I have a heart for helping parents develop deeper relationships with their children and with God. Our kids, ages 6, 11, and 15, share this vision. They have helped me write three family devotionals for parents or older relatives to read with the children and teens they love. You can find all three books here or read more below.
Attention All Boy Moms (and Dads)!
God’s Warrior: Devotions for Boys Who Want to Grow in Courage and Strength helps young boys, ages 5-13, learn what it means to trust God and become strong warriors for his kingdom. Now, more than ever, our world needs men who are willing to boldly carry God’s love into the world. I wrote this boys’ devotional book with our two young sons, Aiden and Caleb, ages six and eleven! You’ll enjoy their honesty as we teach boys how to be strong warriors for the Lord. Find this life-changing devotional book here.
Mother-Daughter Devotionals by a Mom and Daughter
Girl to Girl: 60 Mother-Daughter Devotions for a Closer Relationship and Deeper Faith is written for girls ages 7-12. It includes 60 devotions with Scripture, conversation starters, and a shared journaling section for moms and daughters after each devotion. I wrote this book with the help of our daughter, Bekah, when she was eleven. Find this one-of-a-kind shared devotional here.
Heart to Heart: A Mother-Daughter Devotional With 50 Devotions for Teen Girls is for teenage girls ages 13-20. It includes 50 devotions, each with a shared journaling section to help moms and daughters connect through writing. This is a great book for moms who want to communicate about awkward topics—like dating, sexuality, peer pressure, and more—but don’t know where to start. Bekah and I will help you right here.
Find Our Family Devotionals Here
Find all three books right here. They are also free on the Kindle Unlimited plan, which you can enjoy with a free three-month trial! These books make great gifts, and you don’t need to be the parent of young children to read them. Share them with your grandchildren, nieces, nephews, or the young ones you love.
Learn Why Willpower Doesn’t Work and Experience God’s Deliverance and Healing
God wants to work in your life to accomplish what you’ve been unable to do through willpower alone. Lean Into Grace: Let God’s Grace Heal Your Heart, Refresh Your Soul, and Set You Free shares practical ways to experience God’s freedom, healing, power, and presence in your life. Find this life-changing book as a free eBook on Kindle Unlimited or for 12.99 in print right here. (If you do not have Kindle Unlimited, you can try it out with a free three-month trial!) This book will transform your life and revitalize your relationship with the Lord!
A Free Devotional to Help You Connect With God
If these prayers for strength and wisdom blessed you, I have a gift for you. God is a good Father, and he wants us to experience his healing, deliverance, and replenishment. Most of us have learned that we cannot heal, deliver, or refresh ourselves; we need God to do this work within us. I invite you to create space for God to transform your life by downloading a free copy of my devotional eBook, The Lean Into Grace Devotional: An 8-Day Devotional for Healing, Deliverance, and Replenishment. Find it for free here. I also offer a library of free online devotional eBooks for free. I invite you to explore the collection right here! 
