Prayer for Courage

Are you facing life-threatening obstacles today, or even circumstances that seem insurmountable? Do you need God to give you courage to face the day? If so, pray this prayer for courage. Believe that God will help you, and He will.

I don’t know about you, but I need a lot of courage right now.

Everyone has day-to-day stressors in life, but I feel particularly overwhelmed right now because of some medical issues in my family. We are fighting for my husband’s life, and also for the health of my child, all at the same time. These stressors threaten to overwhelm me sometimes when they pile up, and that’s not even counting normal, everyday stressors like work, and discipling people, and housework, and my child’s schooling and homework, and trying to be a good wife and mom.

But on days when we can’t keep it together, God’s grace is still sufficient for you.

I am depending on His grace every day, and He has never failed me. His grace is always sufficient, even on days when we don’t want to get out of bed, or leave the house, or face the day in any kind of way. Jesus is still the Rock on Whom we can depend. He is still our Refuge and our Fortress; our God, in Whom we trust.

And no matter what we face each day, He will get us through.

I want to say that again:

Beloved, no matter what you are facing today, Jesus will get you through.

He is King of kings and Lord of lords. All power in Heaven and earth is His. And He who keeps Israel (not exactly an easy job!) neither slumbers nor sleeps. There is never a moment when His eye is not upon you; His eye is truly on the sparrow. All the hairs of your head (and even your beard, men!) are numbered. Nothing happens to you that escapes His watchful eye.

Beloved, you are safe in Jesus’ hands today.

I know it may feel like life threatens to overwhelm you. I know troubles may assail you. But dear friend, we have to keep our eyes on Jesus. He is both the Author and the Finisher of our faith. He is the only One Who can get us through. And He is perfecting all things that concern you right now.

Read these comforting Scripture verses:

“Though I walk in the midst of trouble, You will revive me; You will stretch out Your hand against the wrath of my enemies, and Your right hand will save me. The Lord will perfect that which concerns me; Your mercy, O Lord, endures forever; do not forsake the works of Your hands” (Psalm 138:7-8 NKJV).

And …

“Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him; I will set him on high, because he has known My name. He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him and honor him” (Psalm 91:14-15 NKJV).

And …

“And He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Corinthians 12:9-10 NKJV).

And …

“Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand’” (Isaiah 41:10 NKJV).

And finally …

“I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait on the Lord; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart; wait, I say, on the Lord!” (Psalm 27:13-14 NKJV).

I could list many more Bible verses about how the Lord will take care of you and strengthen you in the face of adversity, but you get the picture. Beloved, Jesus is your strength AND your courage when you don’t have any yourself. And He will give you what you need. As you wait on the Lord and be of good courage, He will strengthen your heart.

But do you need the Lord to renew your courage today? I know I sure do. So, as always, we cast our cares upon the Lord through prayer. We pour out all our feelings to the Lord, asking Him to help us with absolutely everything we need.

If you need help finding the words to do this, pray this prayer for courage with me right now:

“Dear Heavenly Father, I come to You in Jesus’ name.

Abba Father, thank You for listening to me, and thank You for hearing my prayer right now. Thank You that I can come boldly before Your throne of grace, where I may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

O Holy Father, You are so good to me. I praise You for that; thank You! I need You, and I need Your goodness manifest in my life. I depend fully on You, and I praise You for being dependable!

Dear Abba Father, I need Your help today.

Specifically, I need You to give me courage. Lord, it feels like everything in life is so intimidating right now–and that so many things are against me. But yet, I still have to get up every morning and face them. Even right now today, I have to get up and go out of my lodgings and face life, along with all it has thrown at me.

Father, I can’t do this on my own. I need Your help–and I need Your courage to even face the day.

I don’t even have words to adequately pray about this, Father, but I am asking in Jesus’ name that You would hear even the unspoken and incomprehensible cry of my heart. And I ask in Jesus’ name:

• Grant me courage today.
• Fill me up with new levels of hope.
• Restore to me the joy of my salvation, and uphold me with Your generous Spirit.
• Create in me a clean heart, and let it be a courageous heart.
• Grant me the fruit of the Spirit of “longsuffering,” which doesn’t mean to suffer longer, but rather means to roar over my life with big fierceness.
• Let the roar of Your Holy Spirit, and of Jesus, the Lion of Judah, proceed forth from my heart and resound over my life, and over everything I have to face today and every day.

Abba Father, I cannot face the day without You, and without Your gracious assistance. Please help me:

• Help me stand firm in faith, even in the face of hardship.
• Make me perfect in love, even in the face of fear.
• Drive fear out of me with Your perfect love, as only You can do.
• Help me feel Your presence and Your affection.
• Draw me close to You, and let me feel Your arms wrapped around me and holding me today, I pray, in Jesus’ name.

O Abba Father, You and You alone can grant me courage, and can give me the ability to even want to face what I will be facing today.

So let Your grace be sufficient for me, I pray, in Jesus’ name. Let Your grace be a tangible force in my life right now. Make Your strength perfect in my weakness, I pray, for I have absolutely zero strength of my own–but You are my Refuge and my Fortress; my Strong Tower, and the Shield of my salvation. You are good, and Your mercy endures forever. And You are truly all I need, even on days like today when I feel desperate.

O Lord God, Maker of heaven and earth, I ask humbly in Jesus’ name that You would keep me today. O You who keep Israel and never slumber or sleep, let Your eyes be upon Your servant:

• Grant me favor, I pray.
• Give me Your help from above, and let it come to me from the north, south, east, and west.
• Anoint me with the fresh oil and new wine of Your Spirit.
• Let Your anointing saturate me in my body, soul, heart, and spirit.
• Create in me a clean heart, and let it be a courageous heart; and renew a right spirit within me.
• Cast me not away from Your presence, and take not Your Holy Spirit from me.
• Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, and uphold me with Your generous and faithful Spirit.
• Keep me as the apple of Your eye, and hide me under the shadow of Your wings, I pray, in Jesus’ name.
• Help me and my family and loved ones to dwell in the secret place of the Most High, and to abide under the shadow of Your wings.

Thank You, Abba Father. Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer. It is in Jesus’ lovely and matchless name I pray, amen and amen.”

Beloved, Jesus will give you courage when you have none of your own.

If you feel helpless, weak, scared, overwhelmed, or intimidated today, cry out to Him. Ask Him to give you the courage you need. Pour out your heart to Jesus, and lay your sorrows at His feet.

He will help you, and His grace truly will be sufficient for you. He will give you the courage you need, and He will lead you and guide you, bringing you into a safe haven over time.

Did you pray this prayer for courage today? If so, leave a comment below!