Prayer for Strength

When the burden is heavier than we can carry, the soul reaches for words. Here is a Catholic prayer for strength that you may pray at once, before reading any further:

O Lord my God, the strength of all who hope in Thee, behold I am weak and the trial is great. Of myself I can do nothing; but Thou hast said, "My grace is sufficient for thee, for power is made perfect in infirmity." Strengthen me, then, with the strength of Thy Holy Spirit. Let me not lean upon my own courage, which fails, but upon Thee, who never failest. Give me to bear this day as Thou wouldst have me bear it, with patience, with peace, and with trust in Thy holy will; and at the last bring me, unbroken in faith, to the rest Thou hast prepared. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

This prayer carries the whole Catholic mind. We do not ask God to make us strong in ourselves, as though we were storing up a reserve of willpower. We ask Him to be our strength — to lend us His own. "I can do all things in him who strengtheneth me" (Philippians 4:13, Douay-Rheims). The strength of a Christian is never a private possession; it is a Person dwelling in us.

A Short, Powerful Prayer for Strength

Sometimes there is no time and no words. A single line, said from the heart, is enough. The Church and the saints have always loved these brief darts of prayer, flung up in the heat of the day:

Jesus, my strength, hold me up; I can do all things in Thee.

Or the ancient cry of the Psalmist, which the Church puts on our lips at the close of Psalm 26:

"Expect the Lord, do manfully, and let thy heart take courage, and wait thou for the Lord." (Psalm 26:14)

Say it slowly, twice. This is not a command to grit our teeth; it is a promise that the One we wait for will Himself supply the courage. The whole of Psalm 26 is a prayer for strength under siege: "The Lord is my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear? ... If armies in camp should stand together against me, my heart shall not fear" (Psalm 26:1, 3). The heart is fearless not because the danger is small, but because the Lord is great.

A Prayer for Strength During Difficult Times

When the difficulty drags on — illness, grief, a long temptation, a cross that will not lift — we need more than a single line. Pray this slowly:

Almighty and eternal God, in this hour of difficulty I come to Thee, for I have no other refuge. Thou art "our refuge and strength: a helper in troubles, which have found us exceedingly" (Psalm 45:2). I do not understand why this trial is given me, and I do not ask to understand; I ask only for the grace to remain faithful within it. Take from me all anxiety, for Thou hast told us to be "nothing solicitous" but to make our petitions known to Thee. Grant me the peace of God which surpasseth all understanding, that it may keep my heart and mind in Christ Jesus. Amen.

That last petition is drawn straight from St Paul: "Be nothing solicitous: but in every thing, by prayer and supplication ... let your petitions be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasseth all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:6-7). Strength and peace are not rivals; in the Christian they are the same gift seen from two sides. We treat this at greater length in our prayer in difficult times and our prayer for peace.

A Prayer for Strength and Courage

There is a strength that simply endures, and there is a strength that goes forward into danger. For the second — when we must speak the truth, resist a temptation, or face what frightens us — we ask for fortitude, which is one of the gifts of the Holy Ghost.

O Holy Ghost, Spirit of fortitude, come into my weakness this day. The battle is too strong for me, but not for Thee. Give me the courage of the martyrs, who feared not them that kill the body; give me to do the right thing because it is right, whatever it cost me, and to leave the outcome in the hands of God. Make my heart, by Thy grace, the heart of a soldier of Christ. Amen.

Holy Scripture is full of this command, and it is always joined to the presence of God: "Do manfully, and let thy heart take courage" (Psalm 26:14). Courage in the Christian sense is not the absence of fear but the refusal to let fear rule us, because God is nearer than the danger. If the struggle you face is interior — against habitual sin or the enemy of the soul — see spiritual combat, and consider what God Himself says to those who are afraid in what does God say about fear.

A Prayer for Comfort and Strength in Sorrow

When strength is needed not to fight but simply to bear a grief, the gentler form is right:

Lord Jesus, Man of Sorrows, who didst weep at the grave of Thy friend, look upon me in my sorrow. I am weary and my strength is small. Be Thou my comfort and my strength. Let me rest in Thy wounded side as a child rests on its mother, and carry what I cannot carry. Thou hast said, "Come to me, all you that labour and are burdened, and I will refresh you." I come; refresh me. Amen.

There is no shame in needing comfort; the strongest saints wept. Christ Himself "began to fear and to be heavy" in Gethsemani (Mark 14:33), and was strengthened by an angel (Luke 22:43). So we too may ask plainly for both comfort and strength together, knowing that the same Lord supplies the one through the other. When sickness is the cross, join to this our prayer for healing, which asks for the healing of soul and body with the same trust.

A Prayer for Healing and Strength

When the cross is bodily — sickness, pain, slow recovery — we ask for strength and healing in one breath, leaving to God which He will give and in what measure:

O Christ, who didst go about healing all manner of sickness, look upon me in my weakness of body and soul. Lay Thine hand upon me, as Thou didst upon the sick who came to Thee, and grant me healing if it be Thy will; but above all grant me the strength to bear what Thou dost not take away, that in health or in suffering I may glorify Thee. "Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed: save me, and I shall be saved" (Jeremias 17:14). Amen.

Notice that we ask for healing if it be Thy will, and for strength either way. This is not resignation but trust: Christ heals when He wills, and when He does not lift the cross He gives, as He gave St Paul, the grace to carry it (2 Corinthians 12:9). We treat sickness at length in our prayer for healing; here strength and healing are sought together, as the same gift of a Father who knows what we need.

A Prayer for Health and Strength (for the Day)

For the simple grace of body and spirit to meet the day's duties:

Almighty God, the giver of all good things, grant me this day health of body and strength of soul to do the work Thou hast given me. Keep me from sloth and from despair alike; let me spend the strength Thou givest in Thy service and not waste it on myself; and at evening let me return it to Thee with thanksgiving. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

A Morning Prayer for Strength

Strength is best asked for at the start of the day, before the trials come, while the heart is still quiet. The Church begins her day with Lauds and Prime, and the faithful with their morning prayers; here is a short morning prayer for strength you may add to your daily prayers:

O God, who hast brought me to the beginning of this day, by Thy power preserve me, that I may fall into no sin, but that all my words and thoughts and works may be directed to the fulfilling of Thy justice. Strengthen me for whatever this day shall bring, in health or trouble, in joy or in cross, that I may meet it as a child of Thine, leaning on Thee and not on myself. Amen.

The first clause is the ancient collect Domine Deus omnipotens, qui ad principium huius diei, which the Church prays at Prime. A morning prayer for strength sets the whole day on its right foundation: we do not gather courage for ourselves, we receive the day from God's hand and ask Him to carry us through it. Make this a daily prayer for strength, said before the first task, and the day is offered before it is lived.

A Prayer for Strength and Guidance

Often we need not only the power to act but the light to know what to do. Strength without guidance is mere force; we ask for both:

Holy Ghost, Spirit of counsel and of fortitude, I am uncertain of my way and weak in my will. Show me the path Thou wouldst have me walk, and give me the strength to walk it. Let me not run ahead of Thy grace nor lag behind it, but follow where Thou leadest, trusting that "the Lord ruleth me, and I shall want nothing" (Psalm 22:1). Direct this day, this choice, this whole life, to Thy greater glory and the salvation of my soul. Amen.

Counsel and fortitude are two of the seven gifts of the Holy Ghost that come to us in Confirmation: counsel shows the right thing, fortitude gives the strength to do it. To ask for one is naturally to ask for the other.

A Prayer for Strength and Protection

When the strength we need is to stand fast against an enemy — whether the temptations of the flesh, the malice of men, or the powers of darkness — we join strength to protection, as Holy Scripture does:

O Lord, my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, be Thou my protection in the day of battle. Cover me under the shadow of Thy wings; gird me with strength, and make my way blameless. Deliver me from the snares of the enemy and from my own weakness, and let no evil come near me that Thou dost not turn to my good. "If God be for us, who is against us?" (Romans 8:31). In Thee I take refuge; let me never be confounded. Amen.

For this fight the Church gives us the prayer to St Michael and the ancient St Patrick's Breastplate, the great prayer of protection that binds the strength of Christ around the one who prays it. See also spiritual combat.

A Prayer for Strength for a Friend (Intercession)

We may ask God's strength not only for ourselves but for someone we love who is suffering — a sick friend, a grieving family member, anyone whose burden we cannot carry but can lift up to God:

Lord Jesus, I bring before Thee my friend N., who is weighed down and weary. Thou knowest the burden far better than I do. Give him the strength I cannot give: uphold his faith, comfort his heart, and if it be Thy will, heal and deliver him. Let him feel that he is not alone, but held by Thee and prayed for by those who love him. Bear him up, O Lord, in the hollow of Thy hand. Amen.

To pray for the strength and healing of a friend is one of the spiritual works of mercy. We carry one another's burdens before God, "for the continual prayer of a just man availeth much" (James 5:16). When a friend is sick, join to this our prayer for the sick and offer a Hail Mary for them by name.

A Prayer for Family Strength

For the household — that it may hold together in faith and charity through hard times:

O God, who didst sanctify the home of Nazareth by the presence of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, bless this family and make it strong. Bind us together in patience and love; carry us through our trials without bitterness; and let no hardship divide what Thou hast joined. May our home be a place of peace, prayer, and refuge, and may we come at the last, all of us together, to the home Thou hast prepared in heaven. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

The Holy Family is the model and the patron of every Christian household; to consecrate the family to them is an old and tender devotion. A family that prays together is given a strength no single member possesses alone.

A Prayer for Patience and Strength

Some trials are not overcome but outlasted. For these we ask the strength that wears the form of patience — the long endurance that does not break and does not grow bitter:

Lord, Thou knowest how my patience fails and my strength runs short. Give me the long patience of the saints, who endured to the end and were saved. Let me bear delay without anger, contradiction without resentment, and the slow grinding of this trial without losing my peace or my charity. "In your patience you shall possess your souls" (Luke 21:19). Possess my soul, O Lord, and hold it in patience until Thou give the deliverance. Amen.

Patience is not weakness but a hard kind of strength — the courage to keep carrying when there is no relief in sight. St Thomas Aquinas counts it among the virtues that belong to fortitude.

A Prayer for Mental Strength and Encouragement

When the trial is in the mind — discouragement, anxiety, the temptation to despair, the weariness of spirit that drains all resolve — we ask for the encouragement that only God can give:

O God of all comfort and all hope, lift up my heart, for it is cast down within me. My mind is heavy and my courage spent; I cannot encourage myself. Be Thou my encouragement: quiet my anxious thoughts, drive back the temptation to despair, and remind me that Thou art near. "Why art thou sad, O my soul? and why dost thou trouble me? Hope in God" (Psalm 41:6). Renew my strength, O Lord, that I may run and not be weary, walk and not faint. Amen.

This is not "positive thinking," which leans on the self that is already exhausted; it is hope, which leans on God. Anxiety and discouragement are real crosses, and the right answer to them is to cast our care upon Him, "for he hath care of you" (1 Peter 5:7). For the anxious mind in particular, see our prayer for anxiety.

What the Bible Says About Strength

Holy Scripture returns again and again to one truth: the strength of the believer is God Himself, not the believer. A few verses to commit to memory and to pray:

• "I can do all things in him who strengtheneth me" (Philippians 4:13) — the strength is in Him.
• "The Lord is my strength and my praise, and he is become salvation to me" (Exodus 15:2).
• "The Lord is my firmament, my refuge, and my deliverer" (Psalm 17:3).
• "They that hope in the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall take wings as eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint" (Isaias 40:31).
• "My grace is sufficient for thee; for power is made perfect in infirmity" (2 Corinthians 12:9).

Read them together and one teaching emerges: the Bible never tells us to be strong in ourselves. It tells us to be strong in the Lord, "and in the might of his power" (Ephesians 6:10). This is the difference between the Christian and every merely natural counsel of courage.

The Holy Ghost, the Strength of the Soul

Where does this strength come from? Not from technique, not from positive thinking, and certainly not from any charm, lucky prayer, or formula said the "right number" of times. That would be superstition, and it has nothing to do with the Faith. Christian strength is the work of the Third Person of the Blessed Trinity dwelling in the baptised soul.

This is why the oldest prayer of the Church for strength is a prayer to the Holy Ghost. Pray the great hymn Veni, Creator Spiritus, which the Church sings whenever grace and power are needed — at ordinations, at the election of a Pope, at the opening of every great work:

Come, Holy Ghost, Creator blest,
and in our hearts take up Thy rest;
come with Thy grace and heavenly aid
to fill the hearts which Thou hast made.

We give the full hymn and its history in the Veni Creator, and the longer intercession in the litany of the Holy Ghost. When you do not know how to pray for strength, pray to the Spirit, "for we know not what we should pray for as we ought; but the Spirit himself asketh for us with unspeakable groanings" (Romans 8:26).

Trust and Abandonment, Not a Bargain

A last word, said plainly. A prayer for strength is not a lever we pull to force God's hand, and it is not measured by how it makes us feel. We may pray with all our heart and still feel weak the next morning — and the prayer was heard. God often gives strength in the very form of letting us feel our weakness, so that we lean on Him and not on ourselves: "power is made perfect in infirmity" (2 Corinthians 12:9). St Paul asked three times to have his trial removed; God did not remove it, but gave him grace to carry it, and Paul learned to glory in his weakness.

So we ask boldly — and we surrender the manner of the answer to a Father who loves us. We trust Him, as Scripture commands: "Have confidence in the Lord with all thy heart, and lean not upon thy own prudence" (Proverbs 3:5). That trust is the strength. The soul that abandons itself to God has already won the only battle that matters.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a good Catholic prayer for strength?

Any prayer that asks God to be your strength rather than asking merely to feel strong. A simple and powerful one is: "O Lord my God, the strength of all who hope in Thee, of myself I can do nothing; strengthen me with the strength of Thy Holy Spirit." Join to it the words of Psalm 26:14, "do manfully, and let thy heart take courage, and wait thou for the Lord," and you have a complete prayer.

What Bible verse gives strength in hard times?

The classic is Philippians 4:13 in the Douay-Rheims: "I can do all things in him who strengtheneth me" — note the words in him, for the strength is Christ's, lent to us. Also turn to Psalm 26:1, "The Lord is my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear?" and Psalm 45:2, "Our God is our refuge and strength: a helper in troubles."

How do I pray for strength when I have no words?

Use a short dart of prayer, repeated. "Jesus, my strength, hold me up." "Lord, help me." "Into Thy hands." These brief cries, said often through the day, are a true and ancient form of prayer, and the Holy Ghost completes what we cannot put into words (Romans 8:26).

Is praying for strength the same as wishful thinking or luck?

No. We do not pray to a force or a fortune; we pray to a Person, God, who hears and answers as a Father. Christian strength is the gift of the Holy Ghost dwelling in the soul, not a guaranteed feeling; true prayer is trust and abandonment to God's will.

What should I pray for courage to face fear?

Ask the Holy Ghost for the gift of fortitude: "O Holy Ghost, Spirit of fortitude, give me the courage to do the right thing whatever it cost, and to leave the outcome to God." Courage is not the absence of fear but the refusal to let fear rule, because God is nearer than the danger. See also what does God say about fear.

What is a good prayer for healing and strength?

Ask for both at once, leaving the measure to God: "O Christ, who didst heal all manner of sickness, grant me healing if it be Thy will, and above all the strength to bear what Thou dost not take away." This follows the example of St Paul, who was not healed of his trial but given grace to carry it (2 Corinthians 12:9).

How do I pray for strength for a friend who is suffering?

Name them before God and ask Him to give the strength you cannot: "Lord Jesus, I bring before Thee my friend N.; give him the strength I cannot give, uphold his faith, and if it be Thy will, heal him." Interceding for others is a spiritual work of mercy, "for the continual prayer of a just man availeth much" (James 5:16). Adding a Hail Mary for them by name is an old and good practice.

What is a good morning prayer for strength?

Pray at the start of the day, before the trials come: "O God, who hast brought me to the beginning of this day, strengthen me for whatever it shall bring, that I may meet it leaning on Thee and not on myself." This adapts the Church's ancient collect at Prime. A daily prayer for strength said before the first task offers the whole day to God before it is lived.

Are there Catholic prayers for strength a Christian can say daily?

Yes — the Church is rich in them. Pray the Veni, Creator Spiritus to the Holy Ghost, the morning collect of Prime, Psalm 26 ("The Lord is my light and my salvation"), and short darts of prayer through the day ("Jesus, my strength, hold me up"). These are not novelties but the daily prayers of the saints, who drew their strength from the same Spirit who dwells in every baptised soul.

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Sources. Holy Scripture, Douay-Rheims version (Exodus 15; Psalms 17, 22, 26, 41, 45; Isaias 40; Jeremias 17; Proverbs 3; Matthew 11; Mark 14; Luke 21, 22; Romans 8; 2 Corinthians 12; Ephesians 6; Philippians 4; James 5; 1 Peter 5); the hymn Veni, Creator Spiritus; the collect of Prime (Domine Deus omnipotens); the Litany of the Holy Ghost; the Catechism of Saint Pius X on prayer and the gifts of the Holy Ghost; St Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologiae II-II, q. 136 (patience).