7 Big Ways to Pray through Seasons of Change

“Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path” (Psalm 119:105).

We live by God’s word. It was his Word that spoke the world into being, and it is his word that leads his people forward into the unknown where he will work. Changes often bring a multitude of decisions that can easily overwhelm us. Whether you’re picking out new curtains and can’t stand another fabric swatch, or are trying to offer your child wisdom in their own choices, God invites us to seek him and his wisdom in making decisions. No choice is too big or too small to bring to him. 

Father,

We know that no part of our lives goes beyond your sight. You have shown again and again that you care deeply about the details of our lives. We are limited in our understanding, so we seek you as we walk through this season of change. We welcome your guiding hand.

Amen.

2. Pray for Wise Counselors and Friends

“Plans fail when there is no counsel, but with many advisors they succeed” (Proverbs 15:22).

None of us were made to live in isolation. Our lives are intricately connected with others in particular and complex ways. When we walk through change, it is normal to struggle to keep perspective within our lives and circumstances. Whether or not your change requires decision-making, pray for wise counsel as you walk through these changes. Friends, mentors, or counselors may be able to see what seems difficult for you yourself to discern. They can offer direction or encouragement that you didn’t know you needed.

Dear Lord,

We thank you, God, that we do not have to experience change alone. Thank you for showing us your presence in the people you have placed in our lives whose perspective enrich and enlarge our understanding. I pray for good and wise counselors, who have themselves built their lives upon you to speak into this season of change.

Amen.

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“Be strong, and let your heart take courage, all you who wait for the Lord!” (Psalm 31:24).

One of the greatest challenges through seasons of change may involve having to show up for so much of the day-to-day while our sense of normal is shifting under our feet. Having to do this requires different areas of strength we may feel unprepared for. To take your eyes off of the horizon in order to help your child with their homework, schedule doctors’ appointments, or prepare for a difficult meeting leads us to depend on God’s provision in ways we may not have before. But God has a record of providing exactly what you need when you need it, although it may not have been what you were expecting. 

Father,

Thank you for the way you continue to lead us through life fully dependent on you. You are the God who led the Israelites through the desert, through unknown and barren places where they could only look to you to provide for their daily needs. I pray that you would do the same for me today. Only you know what the day holds. Give me just the strength and help that I need for today.

Amen

4. Pray for Faith to Remain Present

“This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it” (Psalm 118:24).

Walking through times of change involves tension from many directions. You may be wrestling with letting go of one reality and anticipating a new one. 

But in all the change, it is easy for our hands to grasp tighter upon what we want to keep. If you have experienced much change before, this season is likely bringing up memories and emotions — both good and bad — of previous change, making it hard to have the capacity for life right now. At the same time, you may be filled with thoughts of the future. Staying present takes faith to let go of the control you hope you keep. 

Father,

You hold the past, present, and future in your hands. Remind me today that I do not. You made us to trust in you for each day you have given us. Help me to rest from any thoughts and worries about the future, and help me to process previous experiences. Thank you for being present with me, even when I struggle to be as well.

Amen.

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“The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit” (Psalm 34:18).

No matter how big or small it is, change brings grief. Even if the change that comes is exciting, that excitement will wear off and what is lost may rise to the surface. The temptation may be to push the emotions away, especially if you find yourself in the middle of a move, or in busy circumstances where it’s hard to make space to let yourself feel the loss. 

If you are tempted push your grief away, remember how God promises his presence in our losses — how he even uses those to show us more of himself, and how he satisfies our deepest longings. “For he satisfies the longing soul, and the hungry soul he fills with good things” (Psalm 107:9). His grace never ends — and he has new grace to pour into your life as you recognize how life has changed, and how some things can’t go back to how they were.

Father,

We know you are near. Thank you that you are near. When we look at what we have lost, or what we no longer recognize, and wrestle with the grief that comes at inconvenient times, we remember you and your promises to hold us up, and to never waste the pain we feel. Help us to look back during these times and remember all the times you have carried, us comforted us, and provided for us throughout grief and loss. Help us now to trust you with the story you are telling with our lives, even though it hurts.

Amen.

6. Pray for Joy Looking Forward

“…fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:2).

Changes often carry with them loss and grief. But thanks be to God, grieving is not where the story ends for believers. Because of Christ, joy makes a greater, more profound mark upon our lives than our sufferings. Though Christ was called the Suffering Servant, he pressed through his trials “for the joy set before him.”

There is so much good God has in store for those who love him. Part of the joy of the life of a disciple of Christ is trusting God with the unknown and waiting on him to see just what he has in store, which in our former seasons, we could hardly have imagined. What a privilege it is to wait on God, to see what he will do! 

Father,

We have so much to be thankful for. Although change brings uncertainty, discomfort and endless inconveniences, we thank you for how you are working in the midst of it, and what you plan to do. Give us a great sense of joy and anticipation for what we cannot yet imagine. Thank you for the ways you have been preparing us for what is coming. Put a new song in our mouths as you lead us onward, that the joy you give us may be shared with those around us.

Amen.

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“Therefore, let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe” (Hebrews 12:28).

Whatever changes you are going through, however your world is shifting and reshaping itself, causing you to wonder how you can feel at home in it again, we as believers have the greatest, unshakable truths to stand on. Even when we do not feel secure, we have reason to rejoice. 

“Have you not considered the foundations of the earth?” (Isaiah 40:21, CSB). God is the one who laid the foundations of reality in the very beginning. And though we are bent away from that reality, away from God’s heart and toward our desires for control and personal satisfaction, God came after us and made a way to bring us back, fully reconciled and restored to his kingdom that cannot be moved through the life, death, and resurrection of Christ. 

We have much to rejoice in, no matter what change is moving through and shaking up your life. The Psalmists show us how even when nothing makes sense, those who hope in God can come back to worship.  

Father,

Thank you for your gospel, for your Word that reveals your Good News. Thank you that through Christ, we have received an inheritance that can never be taken away. I pray today, and throughout this season of change, that you will remind me constantly of the hope you have given me out of the overflow of your love and mercy. Give me a heart of worship, so that I will not waste an opportunity to turn to you and point others to you in the midst of my changing life. 

In your name,

Amen. 

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