Prayer for Strength

If you are facing difficult times, know that a prayer for strength can help. Through prayer, God can work miracles and use us for His glory on Earth by giving us strength in hard times. God wants us to prosper and be well, and to give us hope for the future. Even though the Bible tells us, "Go with the strength you have" (Judges 6:14), there are times when it can be hard to rally. Sometimes God's intervention is needed. This is what makes a prayer for strength so important on our journey as Christians.

When life seems hard, we sometimes find it easy to question God or feel like things will never get easier. These are the moments when we need to be assured that our faith will guide us in the right direction, and to pray for strength during these difficult times.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO SAY A PRAYER FOR STRENGTH?

A prayer for strength is a verbal or mental acknowledgement of the fact that it is God who is in control of our lives. He always has a plan for us, even if it is hard for us to see it or understand it. When we say a prayer for strength, what we're doing is surrendering ourselves totally and completely to the will and power of God, and opening ourselves up to accept his guidance and intercession.

When we say a prayer for strength what we're really doing is strengthening our faith and our relationship with God. God's strength is what gives us the power to get through the hard days. When you are feeling weary or overwhelmed, do not hesitate to pray for strength or to ask for God's hand to guide you!

WHEN TO SAY A PRAYER FOR STRENGTH?

Do you find the life leaves you feeling exhausted or overwhelmed? Do you feel backed into a corner, unsure of how to face a challenge head-on? The good news is that God is always there for us, ready to give an extra dose of strength to persevere through the difficult times in our lives, if we just remember to pray for strength.

In our most difficult hours, it can be helpful to remember Psalm 46:

"God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear though the earth should change, though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea; though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble with its tumult."

The Psalms remind us how important it is to call out to God and remain steady in our faith, even when we feel like the world is out to get us. Here are some instances when you may find it helpful to turn to God and say a prayer for strength:

• When you're weary and at your weakest
• When you need encouragement
• If you're overwhelmed or just looking to endure
• If you're in need of a breakthrough
• When engaged in a battle of strength against spiritual warfare
• When you feel under attack
• When life is simply challenging

God wants to see us through the hard times and is waiting for us to call upon Him through prayer for strength.

Does God answer prayers for strength?

When we say a prayer for strength, it's important to understand what it is we are actually praying for. First, prayers for strength are God-honoring prayers rooted in Scripture, as they acknowledge the true source of all strength (Exodus 15:2). However, what is a prayer for strength really asking for?

It might seem that a prayer for strength is about asking God to help alleviate the trials of life, or to help us move more quickly and painlessly through a difficult time. When we pray for strength, it may be because we are looking for God to give us a way to escape. However, the strength that God supplies in answer to our prayers is different than that.

When we say a prayer for strength, what we are actually asking God to do is strengthen our faith in Him, so that we may better trust His promises. This may not result in being able to escape a trying time, but rather being able to endure it by having faith that our struggles are part of God's larger plan for us, and may be used for His glory in a way we don't yet understand.

When God does begin to answer our prayers for strength, there are a few things that begin to happen:

• We unlearn our wrong understandings. As we pray for strength, God helps us see that what we gain from Him is not the ability to escape, but to endure and trust in His promises.
• We begin to walk by faith, not by sight. Once we have a greater understanding of God's purposes, we also begin to understand that we can trust in His purposes more than we can trust in our perceptions of an event. This encourages us to rely more on God than on ourselves, and to surrender ourselves to His will.
• We begin to have hope in the future. This is perhaps the greatest result of our prayers for strength. As we unlearn wrong understandings about what praying for strength means and begin to trust more deeply in God, we come to truly comprehend that God is for us and stands against all evil. The feeling of hope in the future is one of the surest signs of an answered prayer for strength.

The most important thing to remember when saying a prayer for strength is that prayers are demonstration of our continued faith in God. Let God renew your faith and endurance as you work through difficult times. Allow these challenges to become part of your testimony and for the development of your own personal character. Continue to earnestly desire the gift of strength from God in your daily conversations with him.