5 Life-Changing Prayers for Hope in Difficult Times
Thin bands of ivory lace the spines of the spruce’s outstretched boughs. As I admire them, I wrestle with the difficult circumstances surrounding me. Closing my eyes, I ask God to guide me in praying prayers of hope in difficult times.
If you’re struggling through challenging circumstances today, these prayers are also for you.
God wants to carry us through our darkest days and fill us with hope when we feel defeated.
Prayers for Hope in Difficult Times
Let’s look at five powerful prayers for hope in difficult times. Be sure to read to the end of today’s post for a free devotional eBook to help you find hope in difficult times.
5 Powerful Prayers for Hope in Difficult Times
1. Father, thank you for holding me close in every storm.
We all face storms in life. Some storms seem like they might drown us.
Do you feel like you’re drowning today?
God’s arm is not too short to reach out and save you instantly.
We can trust him to hold us through even the most tumultuous storms. This kind of trust sets us free to live without fear. You don’t need to fear the future when you trust the One who holds your future in his hand.
You don’t need to fear the future when you trust the One who holds your future in his hand. #trustGod #hope #fear #encounteringGod Share on XSit with this for a moment.
These are more than just cliché words. They are truth and life and living hope.
2. Father, I praise you for being good all the time.
Did God fail to meet your expectations?
Are you disappointed in him?
There are few situations that call for praise more than those moments when God fails to meet my expectations. When he fails to swoop in and clean up the mess, save the day, heal the disease, or answer the prayer in the way you hoped, the gateway to hope is to offer a sacrifice of praise for his goodness before you can see it.
I invite you to pause and thank God for being good.
Thank him for being trustworthy.
You might not understand what he is doing, but he holds you in the palm of his hand. He has not taken his eye off you. He can turn any difficult situation around and use it for your good.
3. Father, thank you for your promise to use my struggles for good.
Most of us are familiar with the words of Romans 8:28-29. God promises to use all things for the good of those who love him. Let’s remember God’s definition of good: “that we would be conformed to the image of Jesus.”
We can thank God for our struggles when we remember God uses trials to make us look more like Jesus.
The darkest valleys soften us, help us grow in empathy, and build compassion in our hearts. We develop dependence on God by coming to the end of our strength. God won’t waste your suffering.
Keep your heart soft, and God will use your struggle to mold you into the image of his Son.
4. Father, thank you that when my circumstances fall apart, you are my hope.
Lasting hope is deeper than circumstantial hope. It is hope fixed on a source outside myself. It is hope fixed on an anchor that is not inside the haul of the ship.
Thank God that he is your hope – your anchor – even when circumstances unravel. Then ask him to help you press into him in a way that transforms you. (For more prayers of hope, join me here.)
5. Father, thank you that even if this worst-case scenario unfolds, I can trust you.
We tend to lose hope when circumstances fall apart. The most powerful prayers for hope are prayers that thank and praise God – even when worst-case scenarios become reality.
Can you pray this kind of prayer for hope today?
Will you trust God with your situation?
He is trustworthy. He invites you to walk in his hope today.
The Key Ingredient for Your Prayers of Hope in Difficult Times
Do you notice what these prayers of hope have in common?
These are prayers of thanksgiving.
God responds to our desperate and pleading prayers. He hears every prayer uttered by his children. However, I shift the focus of my heart when I pray with gratitude. Thankful prayers lead me to look at the One who already paved the way for hope in my life. My role is to simply step into the path he prepared for me.
Thankful prayers lead me to look at the One who already paved the way for hope in my life. #prayersofhope #prayers #gratitude Share on X
Your Turn to Pray Prayers of Hope in Difficult Times:
For the next few minutes, pray through the five prayers listed above, or consider an area of your life that’s difficult right now.
Ask God to help you thank him for the work he is doing through your situation. Find even one reason to give thanks. Remember, you don’t have to give thanks for the struggle, but you can find something to thank God for as you walk through the struggle.
Every time you give thanks in a tough times, you align yourself with God’s kingdom. These are powerful prayers – difficult, but world-changing.
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 7, 12, and 16, 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. I also recently released a teen devotional called Anchored, designed to help teens learn key biblical narratives and apply them to their lives. You can find these books here or read more below. 
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.
Devotions for Boys by Boys
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.
These Books Are Free on Kindle Unlimited: God Wants to Heal, Restore, and Refresh You
God wants to work in your life to accomplish what you’ve been unable to do through willpower alone. He also wants to help you establish a rhythm of meeting with him daily as you trust him with the hard parts of your life. Click here to explore two books that will guide you: Be Still and Trust and Lean Into Grace. They are free on the Kindle Unlimited program and for sale in print.
Download Your Free Devotional Here
Set Free: Let God Do What You Cannot explores ten realms in which most of us need God to work in our lives and bring deliverance. We’ll talk about finding freedom from fear, worry, insecurity, bad habits, emotional pain, and more. This short online devotional will bless you as you let God accomplish what you’ve been unable to achieve through willpower. Get your download for free with promo code GRACE or for a donation of 3.99 here. Thank you. This small gift helps keep this ministry running.
I also offer a library of free online devotional eBooks for free. I invite you to explore the collection right here!
