Mornings can be hard. You wake up in a nice warm comfy bed and sometimes you just want to stay there all day. Sadly that’s not usually an option. The best way to start your day and help you get out of bed is by praying.
Spending time with the Lord and seeking His presence helps you to surrender your day to Him. It helps you to set your focus on Him and gives you the motivation to start your day.
Whether you’re in bed right now waking up or already drinking your morning coffee, this blog will help you to start your day off right. It will help bring you encouragement by setting your eyes on Him. So grab your Bible, your coffee, a comfy blanket, and pray.
1) Fill My Cup
This prayer has a very special place in my heart. I’ve been praying this prayer every morning first thing for two years. I got this idea from Psalm 23:5 that says “my cup overflows”. I didn’t feel like my cup was overflowing for God, but I deeply desired to have that feeling.
I wanted my love to be so deep for Him that it flowed out of me. Psalm 23 also shows how desperately Christ desires to have us in the kingdom and how deep His love is for us.
Abba,
Overwhelm me with your spirit and fill my cup. May your spirit fill me, so that my cup overflows today. Help this to bring me joy throughout the day. Be my portion and what sustains me.
Lord allow my love for you to flow out of me throughout the day. Help others to see your love for me and my love for you. May your love for me alone sustain me.
Amen
2) I Am Your Vessel
Sometimes we put pressure on ourselves that we are to save others and bring them to Christ. This is not our job, because our Savior does the saving.
What helps relieve us of this pressure is that we are Christ’s vessel for Him to use for His glory.
Heavenly Father,
I surrender my day and life to you. I give myself over to you and ask for your spirit to flow through me. Make me your vessel Lord and use me how you please. Help me to live a life that brings you glory and to surrender to your will.
This life is not my own, so I surrender it to you. Use you for your Kingdom. Be with me throughout the day. Help me to seek you in all I do. I am your vessel Lord, and I thank you that this does not bring me fear but peace.
Amen
3) Transform My Thoughts
Sometimes we get caught up in the way the Lord sees us, that we talk negatively talk about ourselves. We see ourselves in a bad light and put ourselves down. This is not what the Lord wants us to do, so we must ask for His help and ask Him to transform our hearts.
This prayer by Sarah Coleman does just that.
Father, today I ask forgiveness of all the negative and harmful words I have spoken about myself. I do not want to abuse myself in such a way again.
Transform my thoughts and let me understand how marvelously you made me. Change my habits so I use my tongue to speak hope and favor upon my life. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”
Sarah Coleman
4) Start With Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving isn’t just a holiday, it’s the act of giving thanks to the Lord. We have so much to be thankful for in our daily lives.
Even in the most difficult times, we can still rejoice in the goodness of our God.
Dear God,
I choose to start my day with thanks. Even on days when it’s hard, I choose to have a heart of thanksgiving and not sorrow. Thank you, Lord, for (list at least five things you’re thankful for.) Thank you for being a Father who grants me peace and gifting me hope.
As I encounter difficult situations throughout the day, help me to stay focused on you. Help me to keep a heart of thanksgiving and still be able to rejoice at the end of my day.
Amen
5) You God Are My God
Psalm 63 helps us to put our focus on God and give praise to Him. As you pray through this verse soak it all in. Think through the meaning of each line and what it means to be declaring these things.
Ask God for this to be your heart’s cry and to believe every word you speak.
You, God, are my God,
earnestly I seek you;
I thirst for you,
my whole being longs for you,
in a dry and parched land
where there is no water.I have seen you in the sanctuary
Psalm 63:1-4
and beheld your power and your glory.
Because your love is better than life,
my lips will glorify you.
I will praise you as long as I live,
and in your name I will lift up my hands.
6) Bless My Day
The Lord blesses us and it is okay to ask for blessings on our day. When we make this request is not for our own benefit, but instead for His glory. It’s so that we can use the blessings as a testimony of goodness even in the little things.
O Lord my God,
I ask that you bless my day Lord. May it be one filled with joy and goodness because you are good. Help me to tell all of the goodness you’ve done for me already. Help good things to happen your glory.
Help me to be thankful for every single blessing I receive today. Thank you for the first blessing I’ve already received today, which is another day of life.
Amen
7) Give Me Joy
In the Psalms David says the following
In God’s presence there is fullness of joy.
Psalm 16:11
In God alone is where experience full and complete joy. Joy is a gift. It’s more than just a feeling, it’s also a choice. We have to choose to accept it.
We have to choose joy feelings of despair. It’s a beautiful feeling that brings a smile to our face, and fullness into our hearts.
Lord,
Thank you for this gift of joy. Help me to choose to accept it and use it daily. Thank you that brings the feeling of sunshine into my life. Thank you that it stays with me in every situation.
Father give me contagious joy. Help my joy in you to spread like a wildfire among others. Help them to see my joy in you and crave it. Help them to cry out to you and receive the same joy you’ve gifted me.
Allow this joy to be reflected in every task I complete, even the ones that I don’t enjoy. Help me to continue to be overwhelmed by my joy in you. Thank you for this beautiful gift Lord.
Amen
8) I Rejoice
The Lord’s love for us leaves me in awe constantly. We need to thank Him for this love and rejoice in it.
Father, thank you for intervening in my life and allowing me to have a personal relationship with you. Thank you for your love for me today and forever.
Thank you for the blessings you’ve given me and my family. Help us use those blessings to bless others. May I live a life of true joy as I see you at work around me today! In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Ron Moore
8) Satisfy Me
The Lord alone is what satisfies our soul. We need Him and Him alone to fill us and be our portion each day. Having the spirit within us is like never thirsting for our water again.
Through Him we are satisfied.
Abba
Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days.
Psalms 90:14
Help me to feel satisfied by your love for me Lord. Thank you for your love that never fails. Even when I fail, you still love me. Help me to sing and rejoice in your goodness throughout the day.
Amen
9) Open My Eyes
This prayer is to help us be aware of what God has planned for us each day and to see what He doing in us.
Abba,
Please open my eyes to all that you’re doing in my life. Help me to see you moving and working in everything I do today. Help me to be set on what you have planned for me and to follow your will for my life. Thank you for everything you have done, are doing, and will do.
Amen
10) A Grateful Heart
We have so much to be thankful for in our lives. When we start our day with gratitude we’re able to focus on the positive instead of the negative.
Putting this into prayer allows us to give God the glory for all He’s doing.
Dear God, I thank you for waking me up today. You have given me another sunrise to enjoy. Thank you for the wonderful sounds of nature and the cool breeze brushing through the trees making the birds sing beautiful melodies. I praise You, Father, for allowing me to live another beautiful day in Your Kingdom. Amen.
Lesli White
10) Help Me To Be Your Hands And Feet
This prayer is an act of surrendering ourselves to God and His will. It’s us saying “I’m yours” and striving to love as He does.
Heavenly Father,
Help me to be your hands and feet today. Help to help others, even the outcasts. Help me to love others the way you would love them. Give me the capability to serve others. Make me brave and bold in sharing the gospel, and help me to be open to whatever comes my way.
Amen
11) Reveal My Sin
Though we are redeemed and purified by Christ, we can still sometimes fall into temptation. When this happens it’s good to ask for God to reveal whatever is within us that is unpleasing to Him. This helps us to work towards being His reflection.
Lord, I want to lay before you all that weighs heavy on my heart. Reveal even the sin I am not aware of, Lord. I lay these at your feet and pray for your forgiveness on me.
I believe you when you say that you wash us whiter than snow. Thank you, Lord, for your unending love for me! Help me start fresh right now to make choices that honor you. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”
Rick Warren
12) Be With My Family
We’re called to care for our family and interced in behalf of others. This prayer allows us to do just that.
Heavenly Father,
Thank you for my family which you’ve blessed me with. Lord, I put them in your hands knowing that you can care for them better than I am capable of doing. Please hold them tight as they go through the day.
Point their eyes to you and help them to feel your presence. Help them to accept you as their Lord. Open their eyes to your love. Help me to point them to you and for me to be an example of you love to them. Guide them in every step they take and help them to stay on your path.
Amen
13) Be My Fondation
This prayer comes from the parable found in Mathew about the wise man who built His house on a rock. God is to be our foundation. Everything we do needs to come from Him or we will end up failing. He alone holds us up even when times get rough.
God,
Please be my foundation throughout the day. Help me to build my life around your word and character. When I become weak-hold me up. You are faithful and I know that you keep me safe even in a storm. You are my hope and you alone I put my faith in. Thank you for being a solid foundation for my life.
Amen
14) The Path Of The Righteous
Proverbs 4 reminds us of what it’s like to walk in righteousness. Praying through this verse helps brings to light what we do need to work on. It encourages us to focus on righteousness.
The path of the righteous is like the morning sun, shining ever brighter till the full light of day.
But the way of the wicked is like deep darkness; they do not know what makes them stumble.
Proverbs 4:18-19
Lord,
Help me to walk in righteousness today. Thank you that I am a child of the light. Because of you and your goodness I. no longer stumble. Help me to no longer look at my past when I was in the darkness. Instead, help me to stay in the light and give you glory for making me righteous.
Amen
15) Draw Me Near To You
Sometimes, it’s hard to see God. Trust He is with you on the mountain tops and in the valley. Draw near to Him and He will draw near to you.
Lord,
Thank you for your goodness. You alone are worthy of praise, honor, and worship. I exalt you as King today. Help me to draw near to you, Lord. May my times of prayer and reading Scripture bring me closer to you.
May I seek you first, each and every day of my life.
Amen
16) I Need Your Support
We get caught up in the busyness of this life and sometimes lose sight of what really matters. This prayer is a request of support from the Father to stay focused on Him and have a thankful heart after a hard day.
O Lord, support us all the day long until the shadows lengthen, and the evening comes, and the busy world is hushed, and the fever of life is over, and our work is done.
Then in your mercy, grant us a safe lodging and a holy rest, and peace at the last. Through Jesus Christ Our Lord, Amen.”
Cardinal John Henry Newman
17) Help Me To Acknowledge You
Hosea 6:3 is an encouraging piece of scripture to help align your heart with the Lord’s and be focused on Him. let us press on to acknowledge him.
Let us acknowledge the Lord; let us press on to acknowledge him. As surely as the sun rises, he will appear;
he will come to us like the winter rains, like the spring rains that water the earth.”
Hosea 6:3
Lord,
Help me to acknowledge you throughout the day. Help me to press into you and to trust that you will cover me in your presence.
Amen
18) Motivation
We’ve all woken up in the morning and not wanted to leave our beds. However, we eventually have to face the day so this helps us to rely on God for motivation.
Heavenly Father,
Please give me motivation as I go through the day. Help me to desire to live this day well for you. Give me joy in every task I complete. Help me to crave to do my best in all I do. Help my goal to be to glorify you in every task, and for that on its own to motivate me. Thank you for being all that I need.
Amen
19) Help Me To Love Others
Sometimes at work, school, and even at home, we run into people who are sometimes harder for us to love. However, we’ve still been called to love them.
Praying this in the morning will help your heart to be open to others throughout the day.
Abba,
Thank you to everyone you’ve placed in my life. Help me to love everyone I encounter today. Not with fake love, but genuine selfless love. Help me to see them the way you see them, not the way the world perceives them. Show me how to love them well. Help your love to flow through me today, and help me to extend the grace you’ve gifted me to others.
Amen
20) Help Me To Hear Your Voice
It’s hard to make time for God daily in the midst of a busy schedule, but He must be our priority. Pray to hear His voice throughout your day, and make Him the most important thing on your schedule.
Father, I need to hear from You. Today, I make the commitment to start having a daily quiet time. I will listen for Your voice above all of the other voices in my life. Lord, teach me how to center my life on You and help me obey what I hear You say. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Mary Southerland
21) Rejoice In The Morning
We face trials and encounter feelings of despair. These feelings however our fleeting because Christ gives us joy each morning. We can trust His character and rejoice in the fact that He is king.
For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime; weeping may stay for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.
Psalm 30:5
God,
Thank you that you have righteous anger. Thank you that your favor lasts longer than your anger. Thank you that I can have peace in your character. Help me to rejoice every morning. Even when blessings don’t come and I face trials. I choose to still rejoice. I choose you.
Amen
22) A Great Love
Reading this verse from Lamentations brings my heart joy as I read it. It helps us to feel the Lord’s love early in the morning and give Him praise.
Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.
Lamentations 3:22-23
Abba,
Thank you for your great never-ending love. A Love so pure and great that there are no words to properly convey it. Thank you that you have compassion for me and every one of your children. Thank you that every morning I’m granted newness and a fresh start. Thank you for always being faithful and fulfilling your promises.
Amen
23) Help Me To Love My Life
It’s easy to be jealous of the lives others are living. We need to instead be thankful for the one we’ve been given. We were given it for a reason and we should be thankful.
God, help me love the life I live right now. Show me the good things I often overlook and help me be content with what I have. Forgive me when I compare myself to others, forgive me for longing for things outside of you and your kingdom. Thank you for loving me right where I am, right as I am. Help me keep my eyes on you. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Nicki Koziarz
24) Walk By Faith
Our flesh desires to conform, but we are called to walk by faith. May reading through this verse cause you to meditate on what walking by faith looks like.
Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. For we live by faith, not by sight.
We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord. So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it.
2: Corinthians 5:6-9
Abba,
Help me to walk by faith. Help me to crave to be with you and for you to be my home. Show me how to walk by faith and to crave you over the ways of this world.
Amen
25) Give Me Your Strength
This prayer is a prayer for God to bless with strength as you become weary and feel weak.
Lord, thank you for your greatness. Thank you that when I am weak, you are strong. Lord, the Devil is scheming and I know he desires to keep me from spending time with you.
Don’t let him win! Give me a measure of your strength so that I might not give in to discouragement, deception, and doubt! Help me honor you in all my ways. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.”
Debbie Przybylski
26) Bless Me With Your Presence
This prayer is a great way to start the day. It helps you to abide in Him and to help your focus to be on the one who is in control.
Lord, may nothing separate me from You today. Teach me how to choose only Your way today so each step will lead me closer to You. Help me walk by the Word and not my feelings. Help me to keep my heart pure and undivided.
Protect me from my own careless thoughts, words, and actions. And keep me from being distracted by MY wants, MY desires, MY thoughts on how things should be. Help me to embrace what comes my way as an opportunity… rather than a personal inconvenience. And finally, help me to rest in the truth of Psalm 86:13, ‘Great is your love toward me.’
You already see the ways I will fall short and mess up. But right now, I consciously tuck Your whisper of absolute love for me into the deepest part of my heart. I recognize Your love for me is not based on my performance.
You love me warts and all. That’s amazing. But what’s most amazing is that the Savior of the world would desire a few minutes with me this morning. Lord, help me to forever remember what a gift it is to sit with You like this. Amen.
Lysa Terkeurst
27) Rejoice In Every Season
Sometimes it is hard to be in the season we are. We have the hope though that we are never in any season permanently. We can embrace our feelings, and use each season as an opportunity for growth.
For everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted; a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
a time to seek, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; a time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; a time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace.
Ecclesiastes 3:1-8
Lord,
Help me to embrace the season I’m in. To feel what I feel, but not let my feelings define me. Help me to see what you want me to learn in this season. To use it to draw me closer to you. To thrive where I’m at and to still be thankful. Thank you for every season.
Amen
28) A Step Of Faith
We get comfortable staying where we’re at in our faith. It’s easy to stay stagnate, but we are not called to live an easy life. We are to take a step in faith and choose the path least taken.
Gracious Father, as we begin a new day, help us to engage your will with a reckless faith. Teach us to trust in you, and help us grow in righteousness. Heavenly Lord, give us the courage to step out in faith this day. Fill our hearts with your spirit, and let us speak your words with pride.
Debbie Przybylski
29) Walk In Freedom
As Christians, we have the blessing of being washed of our sins because of Jesus’ sacrifice. However, sometimes we still feel shame and guilt about our past. We’re not called to live this way we are called to walk in freedom instead.
Heavenly Father,
Teach me how to forgive myself for my past. I still struggle with guilt and shame from the mistakes I’ve made. You gave your life so that I can be free of these mistakes. You want me to let go of this and walk in freedom.
I need your help to let go of my past. To accept the mistakes I’ve made and learn from them, but not let them define me. I put my sin fully into your hands. I release these feelings of sin and shame and choose to live as a new creation.
Amen
30) Give Me Courage
The situations we can encounter in a day can sometimes come with feelings of anxiety and fear. This prayer is a request for courage in bravery as you go about your day.
God, I want to believe that you’re with me and that I am known and loved by you… but some days, it’s hard. Help me to speak the truth from your Word back to myself. Take it from my head to my heart. Give me peace and wisdom courage to live like a conqueror – because you’ve already given me victory over every challenge and obstacle. Amen.
Amy Green
31) The Beginning Of A New Day
Each day is a fresh start and a blessing from the Lord. A chance to be more focused on Him. An opportunity to be His hands and feet. A chance to grow closer to Him.
Dear Lord, You have brought me to the beginning of a new day. As the world is renewed fresh and clean, so I ask You to renew my heart with Your strength and purpose.
Forgive me the errors of yesterday and bless me to walk closer in Your way today. This is the day I begin my life anew; shine through me so that every person I meet may feel Your presence in me. Take my hand, precious Lord for I cannot make it by myself. Amen.
Lesli White
32) You Are Good
Though our world may feel as though it’s crumbling and our dreams may not happen. God is good. He gets the glory for everything and He is in control.
We need to focus on His character and sovereignty in every situation.
Dear Lord,
As I start this day I want to thank you for your goodness and faithfulness. Though life is not always good, you are always good. I thank you for loving me and for your faithful provision.
Though life has given me many reasons to sigh, you have given me more reasons to smile. Thank you for your blessings and for giving me gifts the world can’t give or take away.
I commit this day and all that’s in it into your hands. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.
Hopeforthebrokenhearted.com
33) Give Me Wisdom
Praying for wisdom each morning helps us to walk in the fact that this has been gifted to us by God. It also helps us to ask for something that we can tend to lack.
Lord,
Please grant me wisdom throughout the day. Help me to rely on you for wisdom. As I go through the day help me to seek you first in every decision I make.
Allow my decisions to bring you glory. Grant me the gift of discernment in every situation I face. Help me to trust you in me and to keep my eyes on you.
Amen
34) From Anger To Love
Anger is a feeling we all can encounter, but if we give into it it can consume us. We need God’s help to have a spirit of peace and love when anger arises. We need His spirit to fill us so that we can seek reconciliation and not allow our feelings to control us.
Father God, open my eyes to see the ways I’m like Cain. What conflicts am I allowing to brew in my family? What anger is bubbling into a murderous rage in my relationships?
Thank You for the clarity to see how hatred kills relationships. I choose, instead, the way of love. Love protects. Help me to protect those I love by loving them. Your way is always best, Father. I pray in Jesus’ Name, Amen.
James MacDonald
35) Adoration To The Lord
Giving God glory and honor in our prayer time is important. He is worthy!
God,
You are the one true King. I give my life to you. You are worthy. You are steadfast. You alone are perfect. You are peace. You are joy. You are filled with holy wrath. You are good all the time.
May your praise always be on my lips.
Amen
Whatever you pray, give each day to the Lord. Know that He is in control and always good.