Trying to build a prayer life can be difficult—whether you don’t know how to pray or you don’t feel like praying. So we’re here to help you connect with God with simple prayers for the everyday. 

cw: self-harm

I Want to Hurt Myself

Written by Hannah Marie from Lancaster Bible College

Every insecure moment throbs in your head, every mistake weighs heavy on your shoulders, every thought spirals. You hate yourself.

Feelings add on top of feelings, until you’re not sure where emotions start and end. Pressure explodes, everything is too much. You want a release.

Everything you hold in your frail fingers slips out like sand. Things you once could handle refuse to fit in your sweaty palm. You feel out of control.

Determination sets as you promise “not to do it again.” Yet, willpower crumbles when stress and anxiety press in. Self-hatred rises like a flood, slowly filling your lungs until you’re helpless against the current. It’s much easier to drown in lies than fight for truth. You want the pain.

But Truth says, Christ has taken our shame and guilt: we’re secure in Him. He bled for us on the cross. We don’t have to make ourselves bleed.

Jesus invites us into his unconditionally loving arms. He erases every lie and gives us a new identity: forgiven and beloved children. He invites us to express our emotions because he’s the one who designed us to feel. He invites us into safety during chaos because he’s still in control.

If you struggle with the desire to self-harm, here’s a prayer and a verse to remind you that you aren’t alone.

“Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed” (Isaiah 53:4-5).

A Prayer for When You Want to Cut

God who bled for me, you love me and have relieved me of my guilt and shame. Remind my heart that I’m yours. Through the aid of the Comforter and Helper, I can resist temptation. Shove all dangerous thoughts out of my head and fill it with truth. Enable me to let go of control and see myself as someone beautiful because of your blood. Amen.

*Note: We’re not experts on self-harm, but have some personal experience. If this is a struggle you’re dealing with, or if life just feels a bit out of control, consider seeking the advice of a therapist or medical professional.

 Prayers for everyday life are hard to come up with on the spot! If you’re in need of more simple prayers visit this page to help you connect with God in the ordinary, extraordinary, everyday moments of life!