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Being a Christian comes down to our faith and having hope. This distinguishes us from the world. However, whether or not we like to admit it, we rarely have the faith or the hope Jesus wants us to have. And that is where our prayers for faith and hope come in.
Jesus spoke often about faith, and He distinguishes between little and great faith. He even rebuked His disciples for having little faith. Then what about us? How does He look at our faith? Can we have the faith and hope Jesus wants us to have? Well, we can’t do it by ourselves. We need grace.
Faith is a gift of God, and so is having hope. We can pray for faith and hope; we can ask God for it. He said,
“Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see.” Hebrews 11:1 (NLT).
And that is the faith and hope we need to survive the turbulent days and the challenges of our everyday lives.
How do you pray for hope and strength?
When we need faith or hope (or both of them!), it usually means we are in a seemingly hopeless situation. Being in that predicament, we often don’t even know how or what to pray. The only word that comes from our lips may be, ‘help!’.
I have been there. Laying in bed in anguish and knowing I had to pray to get an improvement in the situation, I just didn’t know what to say. The only word I could whisper was, ‘help’.
But I know God hears every prayer. He is not deaf to our words, neither is He deaf to our hearts-cry. If we can’t mention the words, He still hears our hearts. He said he is close to us, so when we pray, He hears us, even our most soft whisper.
A great way to reach out to God is by praying based on His Word. Our strength, our hope, and our faith all come from God. He manifests Himself in His Word. When we pray based on God’s Word, we will see his Word manifest in our lives.
Pray based on God’s Word
When you need faith and hope, the Psalms are great to read and pray.
Several years ago, I was hospitalized for several weeks, without doctors having any clue. I was too ill to read the bible or even pray, and the medication also knocked me off each day. However, I could listen to God’s word through an audio bible app.
On my worst night, I couldn’t sleep. I kept the Psalms playing all night through my earbuds. The Psalms comforted me and spoke to my spirit, soul, and body. I absorbed it with my everything.
You could pray based on God’s word, or you could literally pray the prayers as in God’s word.
Some great bible verses to use when looking for a prayer for faith and hope:
- “I love you, Lord; you are my strength. The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my savior; my God is my rock, in whom I find protection. He is my shield, the power that saves me, and my place of safety. I called on the Lord, who is worthy of praise, and he saved me from my enemies.” Psalm 18:1-3 (NLT).
- “Why am I discouraged? Why is my heart so sad? I will put my hope in God! I will praise him again—my Savior and my God!” Psalm 42:11 (NLT)
- “Let all that I am wait quietly before God, for my hope is in him. He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress, where I will not be shaken. My victory and honor come from God alone. He is my refuge, a rock where no enemy can reach me.” Psalm 62:5-7 (NLT).
- “For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” Jeremiah 29:11 (NLT).
- “You are my refuge and my shield; I have put my hope in Your word.” Psalm 119:114 (NLT).
- “I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope he has given to those he called—his holy people who are his rich and glorious inheritance.” Ephesians 1:18 (NLT).
- “And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.” Romans 5:5 (NLT).
- “I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.” Romans 15:13 (NLT).
What do you pray in hard times?
The Christian life is not a life full of only sunshine and good things. God never promised that.
As Christians, we also go through hard times. But we do not go through it in the same way as unbelievers do. We have hope and we have faith. These two will keep us going, even in hard times.
For me, my number one prayer in hard times is, “let Your will be done, not mine.” Why? It clears the way for His will to be done in my life (He knows better than me), and it confirms total trust in God.
In hard times, we can confirm our faith and hope in Him by praying based on God’s Word. God promises to deliver us. So, stand on His Word and claim the victory! We can thank Him for it, even when we don’t see it yet. Because we have that absolute trust in Him, that He will deliver us and guide us through to the other end.
We know God uses everything for our good. So even in our hard times, we can trust God that He will use it for our good. We can stand on His Word and declare that things will turn out for our good. Prayers based on God’s Word are powerful prayers because God honors His Word. Therefore, the earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.
When we think we can’t have it anymore, we can ask for a way out. God promises to provide a way out of every temptation. We will not remain there forever!
And we can claim the strength to go on because we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us. So when we fall, we can get up. After all, the righteous may fall seven times, but he will get up each time. Based on this, we can pray for His strength to manifest in our lives and for the will to get up and go on.
How can I make my faith strong?
There are several ways to make our faith strong. Let’s have a look at what God’s Word says:
“So, then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” Romans 10:17 (NKJV).
This clarifies that faith comes from hearing the Word of God. We can hear God’s Word in various ways: reading the bible, listening to sermons, praying, fellowship with Christians, reading Christian books, etc.
When we make God the center of our lives, our faith will grow. When we do what he says, our faith will grow. And when we put our faith to work, it will grow.
There are eight ways to grow our faith
In order to let our faith grow, we should not just do one thing and leave others. We should ‘multi-task’ to let our faith grow. And when we do, it will pay off in our lives.
Faith brings all the benefits of salvation into our lives (Ephesians 2:8,9). This includes healing, prosperity, peace, love, joy, deliverance from demons and the curse, sanctification of the mind and emotions, and any other benefit which the word of God promises to us.
To grow our faith, we ought to:
- Look at Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith (Hebrews 12:2).
- Feed on God’s word continually (Matthew 4:4).
- Meditate on God’s Word (Joshua 1:8).
- Let God’s Word be the ultimate authority in our lives (Proverbs 4:20-22).
- Act on the Word: we should believe and do it (James 1:22).
- Put our faith to work (James 2:22).
- Pray in the Spirit (Jude 1:20).
- Give God praise continually and thank Him for answering our request for faith (Philippians 4:6).
Click image below for F R E E Printable for a Prayer for Faith and Hope!
Prayers for faith and hope
When you pray for faith and hope, remember God’s word says that whatever you ask in His name, you will receive. “You can ask for anything in my name, and I will do it, so that the Son can bring glory to the Father. Yes, ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it!” John 14:13-14 (NLT).
Prayer in Jesus’ Name
You said we live by faith, not by sight. Help me, Lord, to see You in every situation and teach me to turn my eyes off from my problems and up to You. I stand on Your word that says I can ask anything in Your name, and You will do it. Lord, I ask in Jesus’ Name; I need faith and hope. I want to live by faith and not rely on my own understanding. Grant me the faith and hope to go on, to believe You and Your word in every situation of my life. Teach me to rely on Your Word and to be a blessing to others. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.
Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith
Jesus is the author and finisher of our faith. When we need help with a gadget, we would check the manual of the one who made it. In the same vein, we should go to the creator of our faith to get faith: Jesus.
“Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith.” Hebrews 12:2 (NLT).
Lord Jesus, You are the author and finisher of our faith. Without You, I can’t do anything. Lord, increase my faith. Let me see the hope I have in You. Let me understand my calling and the hope You give me. I love You, Lord. I stand on Your word and receive faith. In Your abundance of grace, I receive faith and hope. Let me see my future through Your eyes. Build in me the faith that moves mountains and believes the very best to happen. Let me have the unfailing hope that you will not disappoint me. You are my refuge and my shield; I have put my hope in Your word. Amen.
Faith, hope, and love
Faith and hope, linked with love, will last forever:
“Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love.” 1 Corinthians 13:3 (NLT).
Father, you are the source of all hope. Fill me with joy and peace and teach me to trust in you. Let me overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit. Father, let your love be overflowing in me and merge it with faith and hope. Let these three, faith, hope, and love, reign in me forever. I love You. Thank You. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.
Our unbelief
God does not judge our unbelief, He knows we are weak; we are just human beings. Rather, He challenges us to believe Him for the impossible.
“What do you mean, ‘If I can’?” Jesus asked. “Anything is possible if a person believes.” The father instantly cried out, “I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief!” Mark 9:23-24 (NLT).
Lord, You said everything is possible for anyone who believes. I believe in You, Lord. You are my savior and friend. Help me, Lord, in my unbelief. I need You. Without You I can’t have the faith I need. Without You, I can’t have hope. Lord, I stand on Your word and believe You for the impossible. Give me the faith that moves mountains and let me maintain the hope in You. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.
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Final Thoughts
We cannot have faith by ourselves. We need Jesus; He is the author and finisher of our faith. The same applies to hope: Jesus is our only hope. Where would we be without Him?
It is impossible to please God without faith; we know faith pleases God. So, the more we develop our faith, the more pleasing it is to Him. As Christians, exactly that is how we wish our lives to be: pleasing to God (Romans 12:1-2; 1 Thessalonians 2:4).
Hope reduces feelings of helplessness, increases happiness, reduces stress, and improves our quality of life. Hope keeps us going. For us Christians, hope is the confident affirmation that God is faithful and will complete what He has begun. It is also, therefore, that confident expectation that waits patiently and fervently for God’s purposes to be fulfilled.
We can receive faith and hope by praying. That is what is so amazing about prayers for faith and hope. So, let us reach out to God in prayer and ask Him for both, by:
“Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith.” Hebrews 12:2 (NKJV).
Click here for your free printable for prayer for faith and hope!
