Sad and Lonely Today? Read and Pray This!

Do you feel sad and lonely today? If so, my heart goes out to you. I’ve had plenty of those days myself. And, unfortunately, although you’d think we might outgrow those sad days, sad days still come, even for me.

But, how can you get through a sad day?

What are some practical tips that will help you make it through, when all you want to do is bury your head in your pillow and sleep until the world goes away and your problems get better?

Of course, we can pray–and I’ve included a sample prayer below. However, I also wanted to share a few practical things that help me to get my head above water when things are tough.

Here are a few practical things you can do if today is a sad and lonely day for you:

First, reach out to a friend and ask for prayer.

It’s normal to have bad days, and everyone needs community. If you’re feeling sad, lonely, discouraged, down, unmotivated, or any other not-so-great emotion, reach out to a trusted friend or two and ask them to pray for you.

Jesus tells us that before we call, He will answer–and I believe this is why you will often start to feel at least some better as soon as you ask someone for prayer. They might not have even seen your text or gotten your voicemail yet, but they will pray as soon as they do–and Jesus starts answering even before they call to Him on your behalf.

Secondly, drink water.

It’s wild how directly our emotions and body are interconnected. And I have noticed that, for me personally anyway, being dehydrated really impacts my mood.

Sometimes, I’m just too lazy throughout the day to fill up my water bottle. (Just being real.) But, when I let myself get dehydrated, I get sadder and sadder–and, even if I know I’m dehydrated because I’m so thirsty, sometimes I get so sad that I don’t want to get up to get any water.

But, as soon as I finally do get some water and start guzzling it, I notice that, within a few minutes, my outlook starts to improve–and I begin to get at least some motivation back.

Moral of the story? Even if you don’t expect it to do any good, throw back a cold water and give it a try anyway.

Thirdly, ask the Lord what made you sad in the first place.

On the day that I am writing this, I had a really difficult day–and was sad much of the day. However, it took me hours to get around to wanting to figure out why. (I didn’t want to figure out why until after I drank a bunch of water, incidentally.) 😉

Anyway, when I finally started trying to figure it out, I asked the Lord why I was so sad. I wasn’t sure. And He helped me remember some bad news I had noticed hours earlier, and I realized that I had been down and discouraged all day because of this particular piece of bad news.

If you are also having a hard day, sometimes it’s easy to not notice the reason for your sadness.

For example:

• Was somebody mean to you at work, and you just tried to move throughout your day afterward–but it really impacted you?
• Did you get bad news of some kind?
• Did you not yet receive the news, encounter, or conversation that you were hoping for in some situation?
• Is financial stress worrying you?
• Are you lonely and feeling unloved, abandoned, or neglected?

No matter what the cause of your sadness is, it will help a lot if you can put your finger on what triggered the blue feelings.

Next: When the Lord helps you notice what caused you to start feeling discouraged, then you know where to begin with your prayers and actions.

I’ve written a short sample prayer below. But, even before that, know this: one of the biggest “fixes” to discouragement that I’ve ever found for myself is to take aggressive action–even if it’s only one small step–to combat the problem that’s making me sad.

For example:

• If I’m sad over finances, taking any little step to bring in extra income tends to help me get my emotions under control.
• If I’m stressed over a messy house, doing even one load of laundry–or sorting through even one stack of stuff–tends to help me feel a whole heap better.
• If I’m overwhelmed with too much work, making a list of all the things I have to do and then knocking off even one or two items helps me see the light again.

When the Lord shows you the reason for your sadness, it would be good to ask Him to help you take even one step to combat that sadness by attacking the circumstance in some specific way. (This is the fourth thing you can do to help yourself feel better when you’re lonely, discouraged, or sad.)

Sometimes, even unrelated little steps can help you feel a lot better, too.

For example, you might be stressed over finances, but you decide to change the sheets on your bed and make your bed fresh and pretty. Those two things are unrelated, but I’m here to bet today that you will still feel better by doing that anyway.

Why? Because, by taking that tiny and unrelated action, you’re proving to yourself:

• that you are not under everything;
• that you are not always tormented by circumstances;
• that you do have some control; and
• that there are things you can do to improve your life, even if it’s just in that one moment.

And the fact that you rose up and did something will impact your entire psyche.

Also, studying the Word always makes me feel better when I’m sad. It will do the same for you.

Jesus said that His words actually bring you life. Look at John 6:63:

“It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life” (John 6:63 NKJV).

Therefore, when you’re lonely or sad, it helps to read God’s Word. Even a few verses–especially some of the encouraging passages from the Gospels–will often help you feel better immediately. God’s Word really is medicine; He sent His Word and healed our disease, and that includes the sadness of our hearts.

(Note: I do want to point out that this list is in no particular order. Of course, we should seek God first every day, in every way. Just because I’m talking about prayer and reading the Word at the end of this list doesn’t mean that those two things should be your last resort. Indeed, they should actually be a first resort for each of us.)

A heart-to-heart conversation with a friend can be very encouraging, too.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been sad or down or lonely for whatever reason, and I ended up getting together for a meal with a friend or two. And somehow, as I have sat at a restaurant table with a close girlfriend, it seems like the worries and cares drain away, and my heart is healed.

We all need companionship like that. I don’t know about you, but I don’t get enough of it. Why? Because I feel old, and I’m tired, and I’m a wife and a mom and a CEO; and, by the end of the day, I usually stagger home and get in the bed to sleep as soon as possible.

So, after a long day of work, any extra energy I have left over by the end of the day gets expended in cooking dinner for my husband and child, helping my child with his homework, washing the dishes, and trying to get my son in bed at a reasonable hour. After that, I’m toast; social events or dinners with friends are not exactly within my realm of physical possibility, for the most part.

Nevertheless, dwelling in community is healing.

When you make the time to sit down with a friend for a good conversation and maybe even a meal together, the anointing is there.

Remember that thing about “where two or more gather in My name, there I am in the midst of them”? Yep … that applies to sitting with a friend over a restaurant table, too. And you’ll invariably find comfort and rest for your soul when you take the time for godly fun and community with the saints.

Finally–last on this list, but first in reality–there is prayer.

Friend, no matter how difficult your day has been, God sees you. He is right there with you. Jesus dwells within you, and He is holding you tight right now.

And if you will cast your burdens on Him, He will sustain you. He will not allow you to be moved (buffeted about by the winds and waves of trouble, turmoil, and circumstances)!

If you aren’t sure what or how to pray, try praying something like this today:

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

Father God, thank You for being with me right now. Thank You for Jesus, Who died on the cross for me. Thank You for loving me and taking care of me all the days of my life.

Abba Father, I’m so sad and discouraged (or lonely/blue/down/fearful/etc.) right now. It seems like trouble besets me on every side and never seems to leave me alone. I make progress sometimes, but then it feels like the worst things happen after that. I just am so overwhelmed by it all.

I need a break from trouble, Father. I need Your comfort and help today.

O Abba Father, in Jesus’ name, please help me:

• Please comfort me in all my affliction.
• Please provide for all my needs abundantly.
• Please take away the stress and pressure; the turmoil and straitness of my circumstances; the overwhelming and seemingly unending discouragement from situations that do not seem like they are improving from day to day.

Father, please move in power on my behalf right now, I pray, in Jesus’ name:

• Give me favor and wisdom as only You can.
• Let Your Holy Spirit minister to me as only You can.
• Please help me feel Your arms wrapped around me, holding me tight.
• Please protect me and shield me from the world.
• Keep me as the apple of Your eye, and hide me under the shadow of Your wings.
• Show Yourself to me as my Glory and the Lifter of my head, I pray–and please do it today, I ask, in Jesus’ name.
• Father, please let good news spring forth.
• Let the trouble and turmoil break off me now.
• Please deliver me from the muck and the mire. Set my feet upon a rock in a wide place, a broad place; a place of blessing and rest.
• Put a new song in my heart, a hymn of praise unto You. Let many see and hear it, and let them put their trust in You.

O God my Father, whom have I in Heaven but you? I have no one else; there is none other; and there is no one I desire but You! I am throwing myself on Your mercy today, Abba Father; but Your mercies are new every day, and great is Your faithfulness to me.

Thank You, Abba Father, for Your caring, Your love, Your kindness, and Your compassion. Thank You for hearing my prayer, and thank You for helping me right now.

In Jesus’ name I pray, amen and amen.”

Beloved, if you are sad, lonely, or discouraged today, Jesus is right there with you.

The discouragement might not go away instantly, but Jesus’ comfort is definitely for you immediately. And if the sadness you’re dealing with doesn’t go away instantly, He will walk you through it and comfort you moment by moment, healing your heart and helping you take appropriate action toward that end, if you will let Him.

Did this prayer and these practical tips help encourage you today? If so, leave a comment below!