If you are thinking about ending your life, please reach out right now. In the US, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, any time, day or night. In another country, contact your local emergency number or a crisis line. You are not a burden, and you do not have to get through tonight alone.
When you feel hopeless, you do not need eloquent words. God hears a prayer that is only a groan, and many of the psalms were written by people who felt exactly what you feel now. Below are very short prayers for when you have no words, longer prayers for desperate days, and Scripture for when hope feels gone.
Prayers for When You Have No Words
- Lord, help me.
- Jesus, I cannot do this on my own.
- God, I do not feel You, but I am still asking.
- Lord, hold on to me when I cannot hold on to You.
- Father, get me through today.
Prayers for Desperate Days
God, I am at the end of myself. I have tried everything I know and nothing has changed. I am tired, and I do not see a way forward. I am not asking for everything to be fixed today. I am asking You to stay with me in this, to give me enough strength for the next hour, and to send me one person who can help. Amen.
Lord Jesus, You wept, You were betrayed and You cried out that You felt forsaken. You know what this darkness is. Do not let it have the last word in my life. Give me a reason to keep going, and let me see even one small sign that You have not let go of me. Amen.
Father, my hope has run out, so I am borrowing Yours. You have promised that You are close to the brokenhearted. I am broken. Come close. Amen.
A Prayer for the Night
Lord, the night is the hardest time. My thoughts get louder and the problems look bigger. Quiet my mind. Let me rest, even a little. Stay awake with me when I cannot sleep, and let morning come with some light. Amen.
See also prayers for sleep.
A Prayer for Someone Who Feels Hopeless
Lord, (name) has lost hope and I am afraid for them. Surround them with Your love and with people who will not give up on them. Keep them safe tonight. Give me the right words, or the grace to sit with them without words, and help me to know when to get more help. Amen.
Scripture for When You Feel Hopeless
“The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” Psalm 34:18 (NIV)
“Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him.” Psalm 42:11 (NIV)
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28 (NIV)
“Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning.” Lamentations 3:22-23 (NIV)
The book of Lamentations was written over a destroyed city, and Psalm 88 ends in darkness with no answer at all. The Bible has room for your despair. You are allowed to bring it to God exactly as it is.
Getting Help as Well as Praying
Prayer and help go together. If hopelessness has lasted weeks, or you are not eating, sleeping or functioning, talk to a doctor. Depression is an illness, not a failure of faith. Tell one trusted person how you really are today, and if you are in danger, call 988 or your local emergency number now.
See our prayers for depression and prayers for anxiety.
Questions People Ask
What do I pray when I feel hopeless?
Say what is true: that you feel hopeless, that you are tired, and that you need help. Even “Lord, help me” is a whole prayer.
Is it a sin to feel hopeless?
No. Elijah, Job, Jeremiah and David all reached the point of despair and told God so. Feeling hopeless is part of being human, not a failure of faith.
What if prayer does not seem to help?
Keep praying, and also reach out for practical help: a doctor, a counsellor, a pastor, or a crisis line. God often answers through people.
Can I ask someone to pray for me?
Yes. Ask a friend or your church, or send your prayer to Jerusalem through the form at the top of this page and we will place it inside the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.
Who Writes These Prayers
The Holy Land Prayer team writes the prayers on this page. Scripture is quoted from the New International Version.
Last reviewed 28 September 2026 by the Holy Land Prayer team.
If You Want Someone to Pray With You
When you have no words left, it can help to know someone else is praying. If you would like your prayer, even a single line, carried to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, write it in the form at the top of this page. We print it and place it in one of the chapels, a priest prays it in English, and we light a candle on your behalf and email you photographs of both. If you are in danger right now, please call or text 988 first. See how it works.
Related Prayers
Prayers for Depression
For heavy days, and for someone you love.
Prayers for Strength
For when you are running on empty.
Prayers for Hope
For when the way forward is not clear.
Prayers for Comfort
For grief, loss and the hardest days.
Browse the full Prayer Library.
