Prayers To Ask Jesus For Hope and Strength In Hard Times

Feeling depressed is not unusual. In fact, depression is something many people experience in their lives.

As a Christian, you may think you are immune to such feelings. Why should devotional children of God with the promise of eternal life in His eternal kingdom ever need to feel sad? 

The truth is, everyone goes through difficult times in their lives.

Luckily for us, the power of prayer is an uplifting gift God has given us. The power of the Holy Spirit can transport you to a place of light, hope, and love. Praying to the Lord Jesus Christ is empowering, and he can take your pain away.

In this article, we’ll explore God’s word in the scriptures. We will also share prayers for difficult times that can help restore love and happiness.

Prayers of hope

Sometimes, we are so depressed we can't see hope for a future. Admittedly, it's hard to talk to family and friends when you are in this mind frame. You may see yourself as a burden, or maybe you feel ashamed. 

Fortunately, you can always turn to God, and He will always listen to you. Even in times you feel so low you can't continue, He will never judge you.

Let’s read some prayers that you can use in your times of need.

Prayer for depression

Here is a short prayer for hope when you feel depressed:

“Heavenly Father, I come to you as your humble servant. I have nowhere to turn. Please help me feel “normal” again. My life feels like it has no meaning anymore. Nothing brings me joy as it used to. Please take these feelings and thoughts out of my mind, and fill my heart with the love for life I once had.

O Lord, please help me see a better future and better life than what I'm feeling right now. I pray for you to restore happiness and joy in my heart as I once knew it. Thank you, Father God. In Jesus' name, amen.”

Prayer for hope for the future

As you turn to the future, this prayer can help you ask God for hope:

“Almighty God, I come to you today in need of hope and guidance for the future in this dark time. Please let the power of the Holy Spirit help my family.

Life has been difficult lately, and it has taken a toll on me and my family. We know life will get better with your guidance and love, but sometimes it feels hopeless.

I know things have to change, and I have to embrace those changes as they come, but I'm scared. Please help me have the strength I need. Please help me have the courage to explore new opportunities. 

I devote myself to God's word. You are my almighty savior. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.”

Prayer to Jesus for help

Sometimes, we don't know how to begin praying for what we need. 

In those times, we can use the Psalms prayer of H.E.L.P. The acronym H.E.L.P. stands for:

• H: “Hear me Lord and answer me for I am poor and needy” (Psalm 86:1).    
• E: “Establish my steps in your word” (Psalm 119:133).    
• L: “Let your compassion quickly meet our needs because we are on the brink of despair” (Psalm 79:8).
• P: “Protect me, God, because I take refuge in you” (Psalms 16:1).

Let’s walk through these scriptures and what they mean.

We begin our H.E.L.P. prayer with Psalm 86:1. This verse prompts us to start with a polite plea to our Lord and Savior. We come humbled before God. It is at this time we make Him aware we are in need of His strength.

Using Psalm 119:133, we ask God to direct us. We pray for Him to take our hand and show us the way as we seek help in the darkness. We are praying to Him to show us where to go, directing us back to the course toward Jesus.

With Psalm 79.8, we plead for God's compassion quickly as we experience a dire time and are in great need of His assistance.

These are the times in our lives when we are in such despair that we cry out to the Lord for His compassion. Whether we are crying out from our own sin or because we were wronged, God will grant us forgiveness and compassion.

Finally, Psalm 16.1 closes out our H.E.L.P. prayer to God. We humbly ask for His protection as we take solace in our faith and in Him.

When we feel under attack, either from a situation or a person, or like our faith is weakening, we ask to be in Jesus' refuge. We may also seek this refuge in times when we feel our mental state is under attack from worry and stress.

Bible verses about hope

In addition to prayer, we can turn to the scripture for comfort. 

The Bible is filled with verses about hope given to us by the Almighty. The following are just a few examples to help uplift your spirit in your difficult times.

Isaiah 41:10 

"So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand."

Roman 5:2-5 

“Through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.”

Jeremiah 29: 11-13

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”

Hope for ourselves and others

In times when you feel lost and hopeless, you can always turn to the Lord. Our Lord Jesus does not judge us or our prayers to Him.

Sometimes in prayer, we ask for hope for others who are in need of a miracle, such as those who are terminally ill. A prayer of hope doesn't always have to be for us. 

Even if what we want seems too big or too impossible, God has no boundaries, for He is a God of miracles. Take comfort in our God of hope, and have faith in powerful prayers. Our Lord God is there for us, His children, and His love is endless.

For more prayer guidance and messages of hope, you can listen to this podcast. In addition, you can download the Pray.com app on the iOS App Store and Google Play.