30 Compelling Bible Verses About Prayer During Hard Times
Life is a beautiful blessing from God. Most of the time we can count our blessings and be happy.
However, sometimes we face circumstances beyond our control that cause us heartache, stress, or disappointment.
What do we do when life happens, and we are going through hard times? Fortunately, God has given us several Bible verses about prayer during hard times.
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How Do You Pray to God During Difficult Times?
How do we pray during difficult times in our lives? The first thing we must do is get sin out of our lives. We must humble ourselves, confess our sins, and repent. Sin separates us from God. (Psalms 66:18) When we have unconfessed sin in our lives it keeps us from hearing the Holy Spirit talking to us and leading us.
Once you have humbled yourself before the Lord and confessed your sin, be sure to thank Him. Give God your offering of praise for who He is. Regardless of our circumstances, God deserves our praise for giving us life, saving our souls, and being with us every step of the way.
Regardless of our circumstances, God deserves our praise for giving us life, saving our souls, and being with us every step of the way.
I think when we are going through hard times it is easy to take our eyes off God and focus on our circumstances. This is exactly what the enemy wants. You see, if the enemy can keep us focused on our problems and the difficult times in our lives, he knows we will be less likely to pray to God during those hard times.
So how do you pray to God during difficult times? I have found the best way is to dig into my Bible and find as many Bible verses as possible that relate to my situation.
To find some verses you can do a simple topic search, or topical Bible study. Or, go to your favorite book in the Bible and choose several verses that apply. Or, my favorite way, ask God to lead you to what it is He wants to speak to your heart about your situation.
Sit a while with your special verses and let them comfort your soul as you meditate on the truths and promises given. As you do so, you will be led closer to God, and prayer will begin to flow from your heart to the Father.
30 Bible Verses About Prayer During Hard Times
How can the Bible bring comfort during a difficult time? The Bible is God’s love letter to us. He speaks words of love and comfort to our hearts. He gives us directions for drawing closer to him and living a life that pleases him.
Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you.
James 4:8
The Bible gives us several verses about prayer during hard times and examples of people who prayed during some very hard times in their own lives.
If you are going through an especially trying time right now, here is a list of 30 Bible verses about prayer during hard times. Let them comfort you and remind you of God’s love and power and faithfulness. And be encouraged to cast all your care upon the Lord in prayer and trust Him with the outcome.
You might also find it helpful to journal your thoughts about these verses and turn those thoughts into prayer.
- Philippians 4:6-7 “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
- ”Isaiah 41:10 “Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.”
- John 16:33 “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.”
- 1 Peter 5:7 “Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.”
- Romans 8:18 “For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.
- Jeremiah 29:11-13 “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you. And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.”
- Psalm 9:9-10 “The LORD also will be a refuge for the oppressed, Refuge in times of trouble. And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee: For thou, LORD, hast not forsaken them that seek thee.”
- 2 Corinthians 12:8-10 “For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. 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. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.”
- Romans 8:28 “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”
- Matthew 6:13 “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.”
- Psalm 27:11-14 “Teach me thy way, O LORD, And lead me in a plain path, because of mine enemies. Deliver me not over unto the will of mine enemies: For false witnesses are risen up against me, and such as breathe out cruelty. I had fainted, Unless I had believed to see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. Wait on the LORD: Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.”
- Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; And lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, And he shall direct thy paths.”
- Psalm 50:15 “And call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me.”
- Mark 9:23 “Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.”
- Psalm 34:17-18 “The righteous cry, and the LORD heareth, And delivereth them out of all their troubles. The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; And saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.”
- Psalm 28:7 “The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped: Therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise him.”
- John 14:6 “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”
- Matthew 11:28 “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”
- John 14:27 “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”
- Psalm 46:1 “God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble.”
You might enjoy studying these verses more fully using our printable Bible Study Journals and Bible Study Worksheets.
- 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 “Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.”
- Psalm 23:4 “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; Thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.”
- Isaiah 40:31 “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.”
- Psalm 55:22 “Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and he shall sustain thee: He shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.”
- 1 John 3:22 “And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight.”
- 1 Chronicles 16:11 “Seek the LORD and his strength, Seek his face continually.”
- Isaiah 26:3-4 “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee. Trust ye in the LORD for ever: for in the LORD JEHOVAH is everlasting strength:”
- Psalm 32:7-8 “Thou art my hiding place; thou shalt preserve me from trouble; Thou shalt compass me about with songs of deliverance. I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye.”
- Psalm 34:4 “I sought the LORD, and he heard me, And delivered me from all my fears.”
- Psalm 91:1-2 “He that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: My God; in him will I trust.”
For more help deepening your prayer life, you’ll want to be sure to check out all these powerful Prayer Resources!
Prayer for Strength During Difficult Times
In several places in the Bible we read about people who prayed for strength during difficult times. The first person we usually think of is Job. Job lost everything. He lost his entire family except for his wife. On top of that immense loss, he also lost his health, wealth, livestock, and crops. His friends even blamed him for what he was going through.
And his wife was no comfort. Her counsel was for Job to just curse God and die!
But Job praised God instead. He prayed for strength during an incredibly difficult time.
Job did question God about his suffering and loss. That is ok. We are human, after all, and it is ok to question why God allows things to happen in our lives. But only as long as we are not accusing God in any way.
However, we know we can trust God, because of His great love for us.
A Prayer for Strength During Hard Times
Here is a prayer applying the promises of God given in the above Bible verses about prayer during hard times. May it be a blessing and help to you as you seek God for your own difficult trial.
Father God, I come to You now confessing my sins to You and asking for your forgiveness. I confess that sometimes my faith is weak, and I question if You are even listening to my prayers. Father, I want to trust You in all things, but my eyes can only see my circumstances. You tell me to be courageous and not to fear because You never leave me or forsake me (Deut. 31:6, Joshua 1:9). Thank You so much for being with me through all things. Lord, I’m going through a very hard time right now. My heart is heavy, and my mind seems to never rest. I need You; I need to feel your presence with me and your comfort right now. Please give me wisdom and guidance to know your will during this time. Help me to listen to your Holy Spirit and close my ears and heart to the enemy. Father, I ask for strength during this time; give me strength to trust You and to follow where You lead. Give me courage to step out in faith and trust You. Thank You for hearing my prayer, being close to me, and answering my prayers. Thank You for loving me and working all things together for my good. I praise You, Lord, for You alone are worthy!
When we look back and count our blessings and think of all the things God has done for us, we know that regardless of our circumstances, we can trust Him. We, too, can live by the many Bible verses about prayer during hard times shared in this post. And through prayer and faith, keep casting our cares upon Him.
How do we know this for sure? Because God never changes!
Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and forever.
Hebrews 13:8
Here are 3 Free Scripture Bookmarks for you to download and enjoy! Meditate on these 3 Bible verses about prayer during hard times as you use these bookmarks in your Bible, Bible study books, or other books and notebooks.
Click the image to download.
About the Author – Karen Ellis
Karen is the founder of Warrior Women Blog, created to help women use the power of prayer and Bible study to cultivate peace and joy in the midst of struggling in hard relationships.
