7 Prayers For Protection in Difficult Times

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During the difficult times in life, many Christians turn to God and Scripture for comfort and protection. They seek to find peace in the tiny print that fills Bibles. They want to be reassured by the story of Joseph who was knocked down as far as a man can be pushed and yet went on to be the second most powerful man in Egypt. Christians want ease their hearts with the words of Peter, Paul, Moses, David, Solomon and, of course, Jesus Christ Himself. Many Christians do manage to find comfort in the tales and words of the Apostles and the prophets, but passive reading is not always enough. Most Christians want to pray as well.

More than 220 prayers are written out in the Bible. The Old Testament contains 176 prayers, and the New Testament contains 46. This counts only the prayers that are written out word for word. As such, there are many prayers for Christians to choose from for their own personal use. Not every prayer is a prayer for protection, of course, but there are many prayers that need very little tweaking to become a protective prayer. Here are seven prayers for protection in difficult times that are either directly from or based on prayers in the Scriptures.

Numbers 6:24-26

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“The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make His face shine on you and be gracious to you; the LORD turn His face toward you and give you peace.”

In Numbers 6:24-26, God tells Moses how Aaron, his sons and all future priests are to bless the Israelites. This prayer, however, can easily be turned into a more personal prayer. The original prayer asks God to watch over the Israelites, and there is no reason that you cannot ask God to watch over you as He watched over His people in the desert. As Numbers 6:24-26 began as a prayer originally, the only alterations needed to this verse are to change “you” for “me” and “His” for “Your,” though further changes can be made. A more personal version of this prayer would read: “Lord, bless me and keep me, make Your face shine on me and be gracious with me. Lord, turn Your face toward me. Protect me and grant me peace. Amen.”

Psalm 71:1-4

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“In you, LORD, I have taken refuge; let me never be put to shame. In Your righteousness, rescue me and deliver me; turn Your ear to me and save me. Be my rock of refuge, to which I can always go; give the command to save me, for You are my rock and my fortress. Deliver me, my God, from the hand of the wicked, from the grasp of those who are evil and cruel.”

Most of Psalms is made up of prayers. There are prayers for battle, prayers of praise and prayers for protection. Psalm 71 is a combination of prayers of praise and prayers for protection. The first part of the psalm is a call for continuing protection, and the end is a prayer of praise and triumph.

Psalm 71:1-4 is purely about protection. This prayer asks for God to be a refuge for the person praying. While in ancient times this may have meant a refuge from war and death, however, that does not mean that this prayer is not applicable today. God has and will continue to be a refuge from many things for His people from war to loneliness to grief.

Matthew 6:9-13

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“Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name, Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Given us today our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into testing, but deliver us from evil.”

Matthew 6:9-13 contains the most famous and most used prayer in all of Christianity, the Lord’s Prayer. The version found in Matthew is slightly different than the version that is most commonly used by Christians today in church and at home. The prayer is not always thought of as a protective prayer, but the final lines are a clear call for God to protect believers. “Lead us not into testing” more commonly translated “lead us not into temptation” asks for God to keep His people from situations where they may sin. The final line, “deliver us from evil,” is self-explanatory.

Many churches and denominations add “for yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever” to the end of the prayer, but this was a latter addition to the prayer as was the phrase “deliver us from the evil one.”

1 Chronicles 4:10

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“Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain.”

1 and 2 Chronicles are largely thought of as genealogy and measurement books. This assumption, however, is incorrect. 1 Chronicles does begin with quite a bit of genealogy, but it also contains important stories from the Old Testament. Something similar is true for 2 Chronicles. Many Christians struggle to read both these books without getting bogged down in the many lists of descendants or multiple chapters that describe the height of the Temple or lists of materials used to build it. This is unfortunate, because there are hidden gems buried in the long lists of names and materials such as 1 Chronicles 4:10, often called Jabez’s prayer. This protective prayer asks for God to watch over the believer, bring them success and keep them from pain.

Luke 18:13

“God, have mercy on me, a sinner.”

A short prayer is buried in the middle of one of Jesus’s most famous parables: the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector. In this famous parable, a Pharisee appears to praise God but is really praising himself. The Pharisee sees himself as better and more holy than those around him. The tax collector, on the other hand, does not even feel worthy to look at heaven and instead prays sincerely. Jesus famously announced that the tax collector, the most reviled of positions in ancient Judea, would enter heaven when the Pharisee, a member of a popular and prestigious school of thought, would not.

Luke 18:13 serves as the basis for a simple, short prayer for protection and mercy: “God have mercy on me, a sinner. Place your hand upon me. Protect me from evil, cleanse me of my sins and lead me to salvation. Amen.”

Psalm 25: 16-22

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“Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am lonely and afflicted. Relieve the troubles of my heart and free me from my anguish. Look on my affliction and my distress and take away all my sins. See how numerous are my enemies and how fiercely they hate me!

Guard my life and rescue me; do not let me be put to shame, for I take refuge in You. May integrity and uprightness protect me, because my hope, LORD, is in You.

Deliver Israel, O God, from all their troubles!”

Like many chapters in Psalms, Psalm 25 is a mix of praise and prayer, thanksgiving and call for protection. In the case of this psalm, the request for protection comes at the end of the prayer. Attributed to David, the prayer is said by one who is besieged on all sides. They need protection from the many people who despise them and turn to God to gain that safety and strength. Though most Christians today do not have an angry king or army out for their blood personally, there are many Christians who do feel that they are under attack for their beliefs. In such situations, Psalm 25:16-22 offers an ancient call for protection written by one who held God’s favor.

Jonah 2:2-6

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“In my distress I called to the LORD, and He answered me. From deep in the realm of the dead I called for help, and You listened to my cry. You hurled me into the depths, into the very heart of the seas, and the currents swirled about me; all Your waves and breakers swept over me. I said, ‘I have been banished from Your sight; yet I will look again toward Your holy temple.’ The engulfing waters were at my throat, the deep surrounded me; seaweed was wrapped around my head. To the roots of the mountains I sank down; the earth beneath barred me in forever. But You, LORD my God, brought my life up from the pit.”

Jonah was a prophet of God, but he is most remembered for the fact that he was swallowed by a fish. It was while he was in the belly of the fish, or whale, that Jonah remembered God and called to Him for help. God answered Jonah’s prayer, and the fish spat out the prophet.

The prayer Jonah speaks from inside the fish, although not a traditional prayer of protection, is nonetheless a plea for deliverance. Much of the language can be retained when turning these verses into a more traditional sounding prayer of protection. “Lord, protect me in these dark times. I have been banished from Your sight and hurled into the depths, into the very heart of the seas. The currents swirl around me and all the waves and breakers sweep over me. I look again to You, O Lord. Protect me and bring my life up from the pit. Amen.”