4 Inspiring Prayers for Hope in Troubled Times
A few years ago I met a woman who smiled more than anyone I’d ever met. She lived with a kind of hope I longed to uncover for myself. My smiling friend had faced hard seasons, losses I couldn’t even fathom, and grief no woman should ever have to bear. And yet she kept smiling. She inspired me to start praying passionate prayers for hope in my life.
I want to be a hopeful woman.
I want to live with optimism in my heart and a deep belief God is with me in the darkest valleys.
Not long ago, I stumbled upon the following words: “Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she smiles at the future” (Proverbs 31:25).
I thought of my friend when I read these words. My friend has learned to smile in the middle of life’s hardest seasons. Her hope is palpable, and I want to be this kind of hope-filled woman.
4 Inspiring Prayers for Hope in Troubled Times
My prayers for hope are changing me. I’m beginning to see life’s struggles differently. I’m discovering trials are gateways to hope when we use trouble to prompt us to pray.
I imagine you’re here because you could use a fresh outpouring of hope as well.
Here are four inspiring prayers for hope in your life. I pray these prayers deeply bless you.
1. Ask God to help you know him more deeply as you put your hope in him.
My dad used to take me on long walks in wild forests. We walked until my little legs ached from scurrying to keep up with his long strides, and then we walked some more. Most of the time, I had no idea how to find my home and was fully dependent upon my dad.
I was rarely fearful on our excursions because I had full confidence Dad would protect me. I was confident because I knew my dad through experience. Our relationship wasn’t a theory; it was proven by experience. Dad had never left me alone in the woods, and I knew he would guide me.
When we know the one who leads us through the wilderness, we have a living hope. We can smile because we know he will protect us, carry us, and never fail us. When you pray prayers for hope, ask God to help you know him more deeply. Ask him to reveal himself to you through the Bible. Also, ask him to help you discover his presence in your everyday life. He will answer these prayers.
2. Ask God to help you overcome fear.
A worrying woman can fear just about anything from a checkbook that won’t balance to sudden death. I can smile hopefully in hard times because I know the worst-case scenario isn’t the end. I can lose all this life has to offer, but I rest in the promise that God’s love can never be taken away from me.
As you pray for hope, ask God to help you overcome fear. You will overcome fear in life when fear becomes a prompt to remind you to pray. Use fear to send you running to the arms of Jesus, and you will soon replace fear with hope.
Even if my world falls apart, I rest in the promise that God's love can never be taken away from me. #hope #hopeinGod #suffering #faith Share on X3. Tell God you trust him to use life’s troubles for good.
I can smile hopefully in hard times because I trust God will hold true to his promise (in Romans 8:28) to use it all for my good. The circumstances might not improve. However, troubles mold me to the image of Christ. When I look more like Christ, God’s will has been done, and God’s will is always good.
Difficult seasons build my faith more than any other. Ask God to help you trust him to use troubles for good. Watch for his hand. He is using your trial to shape you into a more beautiful version of yourself.
4. Prayers for hope remind us of our end-goal.
I can smile hopefully in difficult seasons because I know my future isn’t wrapped up in a temporal goal, accumulating more material possessions, or even accomplishing something for God. My future is face-to-face communion with my Maker. He is my goal. I live to know him more. He is my future. I keep gazing in his direction, ever-confident I will make it through.
Ask God to help you remember your end-goal. Your goal is not success or a comfortable life. Your goal is Jesus Christ, and he is your hope.
A Free Devotional Filled with Prayers for Hope and Healing:
Are you in the middle of a difficult season? Do you need hope and healing? I have a gift for you today. Glimpses of Hope for When Life Lets You Down is my 20-day online devotional book for life’s hard seasons. This devotional will lead you through a daily reflection, Scripture reading, and questions for thought and reflection. It will help you bring your broken heart to God and process your emotions in his presence. It’s yours right here.
These books are free on Kindle Unlimited or available to purchase in print:
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!
Calling all moms and daughters!
Additionally, my teen daughter, Bekah, and I are passionate about helping moms and daughters grow closer while connecting with God. We have written two mother-daughter devotionals together. 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 after each devotion.
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, purity, peer pressure, and more—but don’t know where to start. We will help you!
Multitudes of mothers, daughters, mentors, and younger women are being transformed by these books! You can buy them as paperbacks or get your free Kindle Unlimited eBooks on Amazon right here.
