A Prayer for Hope When You Are Discouraged

Lord, my hope is running low today. I have been telling my soul to cheer up, and my soul is not listening.

So I will do what the psalmist did and bring the whole discouraged mess to You. Why art thou cast down, O my soul? Hope thou in God.

Lift my eyes off the pile of what went wrong and onto You, who are not finished with me. Quiet the voice that says nothing will change. You have changed things before.

Give me hope enough for today, and I will come back tomorrow for more.

In Jesus' name, Amen.

When to Pray This

Pray this on gray days when nothing is exactly wrong but nothing feels right, or after a setback that knocked the wind out of you. If discouragement has settled in for weeks and won't lift, talking to a doctor or counselor is a wise next step — hope often comes through them too.

A Verse to Hold On To

"Why art thou cast down, O my soul?... hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him." — Psalm 42:11 (KJV)