1. Dear God, give me strength.

Strength to raise my head, to get out of bed, to rise to my feet and begin this new day. I am so tired. Mentally tired. Physically tired. It’s like I can’t shake yesterday’s ghost from my shoulders. It’s like I’ve forgotten who I am, how far I’ve come.

Everywhere I turn, I’m reminded of all the ways I’ve fallen short, all the goals I didn’t reach, all the lessons I still haven’t learned. Every time I open my eyes, I’m reminded of the people I’ve lost, of the words I spoke in anger, of the promises I’ve broken. And no matter what I try to do, it’s like I can’t break free.

I’m so tired, Father. And I need your strength to fill me. Please give me your love—pour it into my spirit. Let it warm me, let it course through my veins, let it remind me that in you, I can do all things. God, please give me the strength to face today, to face the obstacles, to face whatever pain is destined to come knocking at my door. I know that when I trust in you and lean on you, you will carry me forward. So this is me acknowledging that I can’t face this alone—this is me, giving my heart and lungs and legs to you. Guide me forward.

Amen.

2. Dear God, give me shelter.

I need a place to rest, to put my burdens down, to find strength and hope and the resolve to begin again. I’m carrying so much baggage. It’s weighing me down, making me feel like no matter what I do or where I go, I will forever have to toss it over my shoulders.

But I’m so sick of feeling heavy.

I want to feel freedom. I want to feel weightless. I want to feel the beauty of starting over, starting new. God, please help me to seek you. Remind me that I don’t have to carry all of this alone. Remind me that when I turn to you, and away from the things of this world, you will remove all of the ache, the weight, and the pain that I’ve convinced myself I deserve. You will cleanse my spirit, refresh my soul, and give me a place to rest before I begin again. Father, that’s what I desire more than anything right now. Please hear my cries.

Amen.

3. Dear God, give me patience.

I want everything according to my plan, my will. I want the answers right now, at the exact moment I need them. I want you to bend to my desires, my hopes. But time after time I’m reminded that life doesn’t work that way. And I’m so sorry for thinking that I can tell you how to be.

God, what I need more than ever, is a patient heart. Is a heart that serves you, not asks you to serve me. Is a heart that knows you love me, and yet, is filled with peace, knowing that you hear my voice and that you care, even if you aren’t answering my prayers in the way I wish.

God, please give me the ability to wait, to trust, to seek you, even when it feels like you don’t care. Help me to know that in time, you will make all things good and according to your will. And please show me that your desires for my life are far greater than the ones I have.

Amen.

4. Dear God, give me hope.

Hope that all things will be as you say they will be. Hope that all pain will be released. Hope that everything will fall according to plan. Hope that there will be better days.

I am so tired right now. Tired of waiting, tired of trusting, tired of believing in the unseen. I want everything to make sense. I want to know I’m on the right path. I want to know that no matter what, you’ll be here. I know you are, but I want to feel you. And yet, I know that true faith is letting yourself be led.

So I’m going to let myself be led—by you, by your words, by the truth I feel in my bones. Father, give me hope to face another day, hope for what’s to come, hope for all that you will reveal to me in time.

Amen.

5. Dear God, renew my spirit.

Please fill my bones with confidence, my tired cells with strength. Help me to rely not only on my earthly body, but on you, because you will give me a life beyond this one. Instead of focusing on all my failures and ways I don’t measure up, remind me of the power I find when I let you guide my path. When I stop worrying about how I am less, or not enough, and know that you are always, and infinitely more than I need.

Lord, please renew my spirit. Give me a heart that beats wildly for you, legs that carry me forward along your path, and a mind that is forever putting you first. Help me to feel light and free, and to follow you all of my days, rather than sink in negativity.

Amen.

6. Dear God, remind me of your presence, every day, every step.

Wherever I go, wherever I wander, please remind me that you are not just with me, you are within me. Show me that no matter where I wander, or what I do that pulls me away from you, you aren’t leaving. Hold me in the palm of your hand; guide my steps, my thoughts, my every day. In the midst of my darkness, please bring me light. In the moments where I am hopeless, show me that you are forever here.

And even when I am exhausted, even when I’ve given up, show me that you will never abandon me. And if I give you my burdens, you will set me free.

Amen.