A Prayer for When You Have a Bad Day
By Betsy de Cruz
“Why do you boast of evil, O mighty man? The steadfast love of God endures all the day.” – Psalm 52:1
We’ve all had days when it seems like everything goes wrong. Remember the children’s storybook Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day?
Here’s the abbreviated adult version: You drop your kids off at school late, arrive to work late yourself, and while you speed through your morning tasks, your child calls because he forgot his lunch. Then your 4:00 pm meeting goes an hour overtime, and on the way home traffic stops due to an accident. You don’t have time to stop for groceries after all, so you pray like crazy for the kids not to have eaten that last frozen pizza.
Some days it seems like the world might be out to get you.
On days like these, Psalm 52:1 encourages us to remember that no matter what happens, the steadfast love of God will last all day long. Even when we run out of patience and strength, God’s love for us never runs out.
David faced literal enemies when he penned these words. The preface to the Psalm informs us that Doeg had just betrayed him to Saul. Yet even while fleeing for his life, David declares, “The steadfast love of God endures all the day.”
Later in this Psalm he asserts, “I trust in the steadfast love of God forever and ever” (Psalm 52:8).
Friend, no matter what problems you’re facing, you can rest assured God’s love will outlast them.
Most of us do not have a literal enemy out to kill us, but we might have a co-worker who seems out to get us, or a boss who is never satisfied, or a child driving us crazy, or crazy in-laws who make every holiday stressful. God’s love will outlast them all.
God’s love can get you through any day. In all circumstances, you can trust His steadfast, unwavering, never-ending love. You can trust it forever.
If you’re having a hard day, stop and tell your Heavenly Father about it. Ask Him to fill you with a fresh outpouring of His love and assure you of His faithful presence with you. Even if life seems stressful at the moment, try smiling. Smile and remember your Heavenly Father treasures you.
God’s steadfast love will last all day long. God will love you as you fall into bed at night, and He will still love you when you wake up in the morning.
Let’s pray:
Lord, during difficult times when it seems like everything is against me, help me remember your lovingkindness is with me every moment of every day. Thank you for your great love. Thank you for demonstrating your love for me by sending your one and only beloved son Jesus to die on the cross in my place.
Thank you for pouring your love into my heart through the Holy Spirit, whom you have given me so I am never alone. Lord, no matter what happens today, I can trust in your steadfast love and mercy.
As I pray over my problems one by one, help me remember your love and faithfulness will outlast them all. I trust that you can make any circumstance work for my good. Your goodness and mercy will follow me today and all the days of my life. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Betsy de Cruz helps overwhelmed women take small steps to invite more of God’s presence and power into their lives. Connect with Betsy to get your free Quiet Time Renewal Guide and other resources at FaithSpillingOver.com. Her book More of God is a distracted woman’s guide to more meaningful quiet times. After living in the Middle East for 16 years with her husband and two children, Betsy landed in Texas, where she still enjoys drinking chai with friends.
Editor's Note: We're proud to announce we've just launched a new nighttime companion to Your Daily Prayer: the Your Nightly Prayer devotional. You'll soon be able to subscribe to receive Your Nightly Prayer via email, or as a podcast, but for now you can find it on the website at crosswalk.com/devotionals/your-nightly-prayer. We hope it's a relaxing and soothing way to wind down your day with rich meditations on who God is.
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