Hard Pressed But Not Crushed
A prayer for grief, from 2 Corinthians 4:8-18
Hard pressed on every side is a fair description of some seasons, and scripture doesn't pretend otherwise. What it adds is the small, stubborn word not: not crushed, not in despair, not destroyed. A prayer for being renewed one day at a time while the pressure is still on.
We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. 2 Corinthians 4:8-18 (NIV)
The prayer
Lord, I am hard pressed but You promise I will not be crushed. I feel struck down, but I am not destroyed. Help me not lose heart. Even as I struggle outwardly, renew me inwardly day by day. Let me see my troubles as light and momentary compared to the eternal glory You are preparing.
Make it yours: change any words that don’t fit, or stop at the one line that’s true today. Amen can wait until you mean it.