A prayer for strength
If you're running on empty and can't find words of your own, pray this one. Change anything that doesn't fit.
A prayer for strength
God, I'm tired, and I'm not as strong as I look. There's more in front of me than I know how to carry, and I can't see how this ends.
I'm only asking for today. Strength for the next phone call, the next meal, the next hard conversation. When I run out, be what I don't have. When I want to give up, hold on to me.
You've brought me through before. Bring me through again. Amen.
The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped.
Short prayers for strength
Short enough to pray between one thing and the next.
- Lord, I'm weak. You're strong. That will have to be enough today. Amen.
- God, give me strength for the next hour. Amen.
- Jesus, take the weight I can't hold. Amen.
- Father, don't let me quit. Amen.
- Holy Spirit, breathe in me when I'm out of breath. Amen.
- Lord, give me strength and show me the next step. Amen.
Prayer for strength for today
Most of us don't need strength for everything at once. We need it for this morning, this meeting, this afternoon with the kids.
A morning prayer for strength
Good morning, Lord. Before I check my phone or think about the list, I'm asking You for strength for today. Give me energy for the work in front of me, patience with the people I'll see and the sense to rest when I need to. Whatever today holds, meet me in it. Amen.
Before a hard day
God, today is the day I've been dreading: [the appointment, the hearing, the meeting]. I've been awake since four. Be in that room before I get there. Steady my hands and my voice. Help me say what's true and hear what's said. And when it's over, whatever happens, I'm still Yours. Amen.
To make it to the end of the day
Lord, it's only [3 p.m.], and I'm already done. I still have dinner, homework, emails and bedtime ahead. Give me enough for these last few hours. Keep me from snapping at the people I love. Then give me sleep that actually restores. Amen.
Prayer for strength when you're exhausted or overwhelmed
There's tired that a nap fixes, and tired that goes all the way down. These prayers are for the second kind.
When you're tired to the bone
Father, I'm exhausted. My body is tired, my mind won't stop and my heart feels flat. I don't have much to give You today except this honesty. You said to come to You when I'm heavy-laden, so here I am. Give me rest, the kind that reaches the bottom of the tired. Amen.
Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
For parents and caregivers who are worn out
Lord, everyone needs something from me: the kids, my mom, the job, the house. There's nothing left at the end of the day, and I feel guilty for wanting to hide. Give me strength for the people who depend on me. Send me one person who notices and steps in. And remind me that taking care of myself isn't selfish. Amen.
When you're too tired to pray
God, I don't have words tonight. You know what I need better than I do. I'm handing You the day as it is. Hold it, and hold me. Amen.
And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
Prayer for strength, courage and guidance in hard times
For the stretches that last longer than a bad day: a divorce, a layoff, a diagnosis, a long wait for news.
When everything is going wrong
Jesus, it feels like everything is falling apart at once. Every time I get back up, something else knocks me down. I'm scared and I'm angry, and I don't understand what You're doing. But I haven't stopped talking to You, and I'm not going to. Hold me up when my legs give out. Don't let this break me. Amen.
For strength while you wait
Lord, waiting is its own kind of hard. Waiting for the call, the results, the answer, the change. Give me strength to keep going without knowing how this ends. Keep my mind from running the worst case on a loop. Teach me to wait on You, not just wait. Amen.
A prayer for strength and courage
Holy Spirit, I have to do something that scares me: [the conversation I've put off, the court date, telling them the truth]. My courage keeps leaking out. Fill me up again. Give me a steady voice, a clear head and enough nerve to do the right thing today, even if my hands shake while I do it. Amen.
A prayer for strength and guidance
God, I have a decision to make, and I don't have the energy to think straight. Give me strength to do the right thing, even if it's the hard thing. Show me the next step, and only the next step if that's all I can handle. Send me wise people to talk to. Amen.
A prayer for strength and protection
Father, I feel exposed: to more bad news, to my own fears, to people who could hurt me. Be my shelter. Guard my mind from despair and my heart from bitterness. Protect the people I love while I'm too worn out to protect them myself. Amen.
Many people also lean on the short Serenity Prayer, usually credited to the theologian Reinhold Niebuhr: "God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference." It's a prayer for strength and courage in one breath.
Prayer for strength for a friend or someone you love
Sometimes you're not the one who's struggling. Someone you love is, and you feel helpless. Praying for them is one of the most useful things you can do. Put their name in. For other situations, like a birthday or a friend far away, see our prayers for a friend.
A prayer for strength for a friend
Lord, [Name] is going through so much right now, and I can't fix any of it. Give them strength for today. Let them feel that they're not alone, that You're near and that people love them. Show me one practical thing I can do this week to lighten the load. Amen.
For someone who is weak
God, [Name] is weak: in body, in spirit, maybe both. They don't have the strength to fight this right now. So I'm asking You to fight for them. Give them rest, relief from pain and moments of hope. Hold them up where they can't stand. Amen.
For a family member who's struggling
Father, my [brother, daughter, dad] is having a really hard time. I see it even when they say they're fine. Give them strength, and give me the sense to tell when they need advice and when they just need company. Keep them from giving up. Amen.
For someone carrying a heavy load for others
Lord, [Name] is the strong one: the one who takes care of everyone else. But nobody's taking care of them. Renew their strength. Give them people who'll show up for them for a change. Let them rest without guilt. Amen.
For your whole household, our prayers for my family include a simple way to pray for one person each day. Our guide on how to pray for someone covers how to let them know.
Prayer for healing and strength
Illness takes your strength in two ways: from your body, and from your hope. These six prayers for healing and strength are for you, a loved one and the months of treatment or recovery. If you're praying for a friend who is sick, see our healing prayers for a friend.
A prayer for healing and strength for myself
Lord, my body isn't working the way it should, and I'm tired of being sick. I ask You to heal me. Give the doctors wisdom and the medicine its full effect. While I wait to get better, give me strength for each day and patience with myself on the days I can't do much. Amen.
For a loved one who is sick
Father, [Name] is sick, and it's hard to watch. Heal their body, and strengthen their spirit for the fight. Ease the pain, quiet the fear and give them good sleep. Give the people caring for them strength too. Amen.
Before treatment or surgery
God, tomorrow is [the surgery, the first round of chemo, the procedure]. I'm scared. Guide the hands of every doctor and nurse. Let everything go as it should. Give me courage to walk in, and peace while I'm under their care. Whatever happens, keep me in Your hands. Amen.
For more before an operation, see our prayers for someone having surgery.
For strength with chronic illness
Lord, this isn't going away. Some days are manageable, and some days I can't get out of bed. I still ask You for healing. Until then, give me strength for each day as it comes, people who understand and joy in the small things I can still do. Amen.
For healing of the mind
Jesus, my mind is the part that's sick right now: anxiety, depression, a darkness I can't explain. Heal what's broken in me. Give me strength to take my medicine, go to my appointments and get out of bed. Surround me with people who won't give up on me. Amen.
If the darkness includes thoughts of ending your life
Please call or text 988 now, in the US, to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. It's free and open all night.
For strength during recovery
Father, the worst is behind us, but recovery is slow, and [Name] hates how long it takes. Put a little more back in their legs every week. Let them notice the progress we can see, even when they can't. Amen.
Heal me, O LORD, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved: for thou art my praise.
We pray for healing because God cares about our bodies, and we keep praying when healing is slow or doesn't come the way we hoped. Prayer and medical care belong together. Our guide on praying for someone who is sick covers hospital stays and what to do when healing doesn't come.
Bible prayers for strength
One of the oldest ways to pray is to take a verse and pray it back to God, in your own words. Here are three of the verses people turn to most when they need strength.
He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.
Praying Isaiah 40:29–31
Lord, You give power to the faint, and I'm faint today. Even strong people run out, and I've run out. So I'm waiting on You. Renew my strength. Some days let me fly, some days let me run, and on the hardest days just let me walk and not faint. Amen.
God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
Praying Psalm 46:1
God, You are my refuge. I'm running to You because I don't know where else to go. You are my strength when I don't have any. And You're not far off: You're a very present help, here, in this trouble, today. Help me believe that. Amen.
I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.
Praying Philippians 4:13
Jesus, Paul wrote this from prison, after learning to live with plenty and with nothing. Strengthen me the way You strengthened him, for whatever comes. Strengthen me for this. Amen.
A note on Philippians 4:13
This verse is often quoted on jerseys and before big games, but Paul wrote it about being content in hunger and in plenty (Philippians 4:11–12). It's less about winning and more about Christ holding you steady through anything.
A prayer for strength to send someone
Sometimes the best thing you can do is let someone know they're being prayed for. Copy one, change the details and send it.
Praying for strength for you today. You don't have to reply.
Prayed for you this morning, that you'd keep walking and not faint. Thinking of you.
I know today is a big one. Praying God gives you strength for every minute of it.
Praying for healing and strength for you tonight. I'm here if you need anything.
You've been carrying so much. I asked God to carry some of it for you today.
Praying for you and the whole family. Can I drop off dinner this week?
When you need more than prayer
Asking God for strength is never a reason to go without other help.
If the heaviness has lasted for weeks, or daily life has started to slip (sleep, meals, work), please talk to a doctor, a counselor or a pastor you trust. Seeing one of them is part of trusting God, too. Often it's how He answers the prayer.
If you're in crisis
In the US, call or text 988 for the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. Someone answers day and night. If a friend is in danger, don't leave them alone; sit with them while they call, or call for them.
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You don't have to be strong alone
PrayerBoard is a private circle for the few people you trust, where you can say what you're carrying and see who's praying for you.
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Questions people ask
What is a short prayer for strength?
"Lord, I'm weak and You are strong. Lend me Yours for the next few hours. Amen." Short prayers are still real prayers, and on the hardest days they may be the only kind you can manage.
What is an uplifting prayer?
"Lord, You haven't let go of me yet. Lift my head today and give me enough strength for what's in front of me. Amen." Praying a psalm back to God lifts you too: Psalm 46:1 calls Him "a very present help in trouble."
What is a good prayer for someone who is weak?
Pray for what they need right now, not what they should feel: rest, relief from pain, people to help and the sense that God is near. You could pray, "God, [Name] is worn out. Hold them up today, and let them rest in You. Amen."
What is a good Bible prayer for healing and strength?
Jeremiah's is one of the shortest in the Bible, prayed in the middle of persecution: "Heal me, O LORD, and I shall be healed." Pray it, then ask for strength while you wait and keep getting good medical care.
What Bible verse is a prayer for strength?
Isaiah 40:29–31, Psalm 46:1 and Philippians 4:13 are the ones people return to most. Each one can be turned into a prayer, using the verse's own words to ask God for what it describes.
Is it wrong to ask God for strength when I feel like giving up?
No. That's exactly when to ask. Paul heard "my strength is made perfect in weakness" (2 Corinthians 12:9). If giving up means thoughts of ending your life, call or text 988 now.
