Prayer for Hope

Life often doesn’t go as planned. And chances are, this year has thrown some unexpected curve balls your way..and are facing the possibility of dealing with more storms on the horizon. So, you need to be prepared with an arsenal of prayers for hope when these unexpected circumstances arise. When our faith begins to waver we can seek God and petition Him with honest prayer. God knows we are not perfect yet He offers us unlimited grace and mercy for when we need reassurance. Anxiety will come and fear can quickly overwhelm us. But it doesn't have to. We can overcome the feeling of hopelessness.

Panicking doesn’t help. Worrying makes it worse. And becoming drama to those around us only makes everyone else’s life painful. Having hope in who God says He is and His promises for us are the answer. What we need to do is pray, as Scripture tells us: “Don’t worry (or panic) about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Ask God to increase your hope and faith! Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand…” . Prayer reminds us of God's control over our lives. Prayer refocuses us on God's goodness and lovingkindness.

Hope. We all long for it, although we cannot always identify what drives us to tears or worry or anger or…you get the drift. All those emotions plus depression and anxiety can enter in when we experience a lack of hope.

Prayers can be used in spiritual warfare against the enemy that seeks to destroy us. They can be used to help us make difficult decisions and help us fight temptations to sin. There are countless applications of prayer in a Christian’s life, but here we want to focus on prayer for hope and faith, peace and strength, and how it can instantly lift you out of the darkest places.

Life is never easy; God only promised us safe landings, not smooth sailing. Now and then you would have experienced some unexpected lemons or curveballs that you fail to dodge. And at this point, hope is dwindling these days. That fire that once ablaze in your heart is flickering and perhaps all that is left is a tiny flame that threatens to extinguish. But, take heart, for we know that the Lord our God is always listening. Even when you think He is not listening, He is because we are just that precious to Him. Thus, reigniting the flame in our hearts with prayers for hope is an undeniable action to remind us that life is not a race in which we face alone and we can continue to burn for God.

However, reality checks are often an unpleasant truth; even after praying we still feel unsettled and uneasy about the troubles we are facing. But that is okay too. Our loving Father understands that we will still be caught in the loop of anxiety and worries. God hopes that through our prayers for hope and stillness in anxiety, we can see past our anxieties and refocus on Him. That way, we can be filled by His comfort one bit at a time. Consistent prayer is the key for us to overcome anxieties diligently and fruitfully. Our prayers are the powerful weapon we have during this time. Whatever word we utter in our prayers, God is looking at the status of our hearts. Let God’s love be a reminder to us that we have abundant hope in Him..

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope. Because the gospel is true, we live by hope, not by hype; by having faith in you, not by having faith in our vacillating faith; by collapsing on Christ, not by pulling ourselves up by our spiritual bootstraps. It is your righteous right hand that upholds us, not our sweaty-palmed, tired-fingered grasp of you.

Father, for our children who have yet to find their peace, rest, and home in Jesus, we declare our hope is in you—not in our parenting skills, our “getting it right”, our groveling over past mistakes, or our anything.