How to Pray When You’re Feeling Shame

3 Suggestions

Let me offer three things to pray for when you’re feeling ashamed.

First of all, pray for courage to talk to someone about what is producing the shame. Second, pray that you will know and feel and believe in God’s deep love for you. That is the only source of true freedom from your shame. Third, pray that you would have the freedom to practice the healing from shame that God has given you.

For example, perhaps you struggle with body shame. Maybe you take a small step like saying, “I’m going to go two whole days without looking at my weight on the scale,” or “I’m going to go a whole day without looking at myself in the mirror.”

Unashamed

Heather Nelson

This book shines the life-giving light of the gospel on the things that leave us feeling shame, directing our attention to the God who promises to forgive and restore us—no matter what.

Perhaps you struggle with performance shame—the feeling that you have to be perfect to be accepted. You can pray for strength to say, “I’m going to turn in an imperfect project,” or “I’m going to go to bed with a few dirty dishes in the sink.”

As you pray for and practice the healing God has provided you, he is going to give you strength to continue to walk free of shame.

Heather Davis Nelson (MA, Westminster Theological Seminary) is a writer, counselor, and speaker. Heather writes regularly at HeatherDavisNelson.com and has been a featured writer at the Gospel Coalition, as well as a contributing author to the Journal of Biblical Counseling. She and her husband are parents to twin daughters and live in southeastern Virginia. She is the author of Unashamed: Healing Our Brokenness and Finding Freedom from Shame.