A Prayer for Stronger Faith

Lord, I believe. Help my unbelief.

That is the most honest prayer I have, so I am starting there. Some days my faith feels solid under my feet. Other days it feels like fog — I reach for it and my hand closes on nothing. You know which kind of day this is.

I am not asking You for proof. I am asking You for faith, because You are the one who gives it. I cannot grit my teeth and manufacture trust any more than I can will myself to sleep. But You can grow it in me, the way You grow everything — quietly, underground, over time.

So water whatever seed of faith is still in me, Lord. Even if it is the size of a mustard seed, You said that was enough to work with.

When I read Your Word, let it read me. When I pray into silence, remind me that silence is not absence. When my doubts speak loudly, help me doubt the doubts too — they have been wrong before.

Remind me of Your track record. You have carried me through things I was sure would end me. I forget that with embarrassing speed. Give me a long memory for Your faithfulness and a short one for my fears.

And on the days I cannot hold on to You, hold on to me. My faith may be weak, but the One I have faith in is not. That has always been the point.

Lord, I believe. Help my unbelief.

In Jesus' name, Amen.

When to Pray This

Pray this when your faith feels thin — after a loss, in a dry season, or when the doubts get loud at night. You do not need to feel faithful to pray it; praying it while doubting is exactly what it is for.

A Verse to Hold On To

"And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief." — Mark 9:24 (KJV)