15 Calming Prayers About Anger

Are you angry and don’t know what to do about it?  Are you so angry you’re not sure you can even pray?

Sometimes we may think we’re not supposed to be angry, but we need to remember that anger is an emotion and we should feel what we feel. 

It’s important though, not to let our emotions get the best of us, or run out of control, whether it’s anger, fear, or jealousy, or any other emotion.

We don’t need to stuff down our feelings, especially anger. Repressing yourself when you feel angry can lead to forms of depression, and there’s no need to do that.  There are many methods to use to healthily release your anger and calm yourself. It can help to be aware of what you’re feeling in the present moment.

And, since you are here on this site, we’d like to offer another possibility: to pray about your anger to the God who made you and accepts you and loves you. 

You can pray to God about anything and at any time.  Just knowing this and putting it into practice may bring you a sense of peace.

These 15 calming prayers about anger cover many of the situations in which you may find your temper rising. But if you’re angry about something not mentioned here, you can easily alter any of the prayers to fit your situation.

Just speaking the words of these prayers out loud may produce a calming effect on your body and mind and spirit. Invite God to meet you in your anger. Nothing is too big for God to handle!

“A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger” (Proverbs 15.1, NIV).

We can’t live and not ever get angry, because there are times when we need to get angry, even should get angry. But generally, if we’re honest with ourselves, we likely let our tempers get the best of us more often than we’d like.

Let these prayers be a way to help yourself place your emotion in the hands of God!

Short Prayer About Anger

Dear Lord, I need your help to deal with my anger.  I don’t like it when I get really angry because I end up saying things or doing things I later regret.  I know there are situations where anger is appropriate but I’m afraid of losing control of my feelings.  Help me see a way to deal with this anger.  In the name of Jesus, I pray, Amen.

Short Calming Prayer For Anger

God, I give myself to you right now.  I need to center on you within myself in this moment.  Help me to breathe in slowly and breathe out slowly.  I feel your calming presence even now as I speak these words, and I breathe in slowly and breathe out slowly.  I ask for clarity in my thinking so I can see why I am feeling angry.

I breathe out my anger and slowly breathe in your peace.  Thank you, God, for meeting me in my emotions now. In the name of Jesus, Amen.

Prayer About Being Angry With God

God, I am angry with you and I don’t want to pretend like I’m not.  I just can’t believe you are allowing me to go through what I’m going through.  Can you not see what is happening in my life and work and family?

Do you not realize how much stress I am experiencing right now?  I am about to explode because there’s just too much for me to handle and deal with.  I’ve asked you for help repeatedly and I still see nothing happening; just more stress and burdens piling up.

I know you hear me and that’s why I’m praying to you.  I’m not going to hide what I’m feeling from you so I’m telling you honestly that I am angry with you and I want you to do something to help me. I can’t do this without you!

I know enough to know that I am safe in your love and since you’re God and I am not, I believe you can handle me being angry with you and will meet me in the midst of all of this. Will. You. Please. Help. Me. God!  I need your peace. I need your calm. I need your provision.  Jesus, hear my prayer, Amen.

Prayer About Being Angry With Your Wife

Dear God in heaven, I come to you now in desperation because I have no where else to turn, and no one who I think will understand what I’m feeling right now.

I am angry with my wife.  I feel like she has lied to me and not been honest with me about what she is feeling.  I feel shut out from the one person I have trusted with my self and my heart.  I love her with all that I am, but right now I am so angry with her that I don’t want to even be around her.

This is a big thing for me, Lord, which is why I’m begging you to help me sort out my emotions and deal with what I’m feeling.  I can’t keep being angry because it’s not good for my mental or physical health.  I want to be at peace enough to talk with her, but that time is not now.

Please give me guidance and send your comforting Holy Spirit to fill me and direct me.  I pray this in the name of Jesus, the Lover of my soul, Amen.

Prayer About Being Angry With Your Husband

Father God, I cannot believe my husband!  I am so angry with him right now!  He thought he was being funny at a neighbor’s party the other night and got plenty of laughs from people.

The problem is the laughs came at my expense.  He made fun of me and how I looked in front of all those people. I gave a curt smile and walked away but inside I was seething, and still am.  I am so angry at him for shaming me that way, and in public.

And the worst of it is, I don’t think he even realizes that he hurt me deeply.  I haven’t even been able to put into words what I’m feeling until I started praying this prayer.  This man, whom I love dearly, cut me deeply with his stupid little joke.  I am wounded.  And I am angry.

Please help me to find some way to tell him what he has done to me and how I feel without completely losing control of myself.  I don’t want to play it down because he needs to know how much he has hurt me and how angry I am.  But I need him to truly hear me.  This can’t happen again!

Hear my prayer, Lord, and help me see the right moment to tell my husband.  I pray this in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Prayer For Controlling My Anger

Lord, I am afraid of my anger.  I find myself getting angry over the smallest thing these days.  I don’t mean just upset or frustrated.  I mean angry.

I can feel my heart beating faster and my breathing changing in those moments.  I tense up and I can’t think clearly.  I need some help but I’m not sure where to turn or what to do.

I need your guidance because I don’t want to continue living this way or feeling this way on a fairly regular basis.  There’s no way this is good for my health.  And I know I don’t like experiencing it all this often. Help me find some way, some method, something to control my anger.  In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

Prayer For Releasing My Anger In A Healthy Way

Dear God, I’ve got to find some way to release my anger in a healthy way or I’m going to die early I think. High blood pressure, or a stroke, something is going to bust loose if I keep getting angry the way I have lately.

It seems like everywhere I turn there is something else that just ticks me off in a major way.  I don’t feel better when I’ve blown my top. I don’t like how I feel when I’m angry.  Which also means I’m not really liking myself these days.

I need some outlet, whether it’s a physical thing like working out or taekwondo, or some type of emotional release like journaling or painting.  I don’t even know what’s possible. I just know I need something.

I pray you will guide me to a person, a resource, a website, or something that will help me deal with this anger in a good way.  I pray this in trust and hope in Jesus Christ, Amen.

Prayer About Being Angry With Your Boss

O dear God, I have to talk to you now because I cannot even look at my boss at work right now. I had to leave the building and walk around the parking lot to try and cool off, physically and emotionally.

I am so angry with him. He made the stupidest sexist remark in our meeting and I was so stunned I couldn’t even speak. He’s never been that way so I have no idea why he would say such a thing.  He laughed it off like it was nothing but I know he could tell that I was very upset.

I don’t know what to do. Should I go and confront him right now? I don’t feel like I can do that appropriately without yelling at him because I am so angry. Do I report him to human resources without first talking to him? Do I just blow it off and see if he does it again?

I can’t think straight when I am feeling this way. Please help me to calm down and give me clarity. I still can’t believe he said that. Lord, hear my prayer through Jesus, Amen.

Prayer About Being Angry With a Co-Worker

God, you need to help me because right now I just want to smack (co-worker’s name) upside the head!  He didn’t do what he is supposed to do and I nearly got seriously injured.

I’m not around him at the moment and that’s a good thing because I’m having a hard time keeping my emotions in check.  Thankfully, I am not injured but the fact that I could have been due to his negligence is seriously ticking me off.

I need your help to calm down so I can talk to my supervisor about all of this and to my co-worker. They both need to know what happened and how serious this is. 

Please help me get to a point where I can talk clearly and somewhat calmly so everyone hears what I am saying.  I pray this in the name of Jesus, Amen.

Prayer About Being Angry With Your Friend

My friend has broken my trust, Lord, and I am beyond angry with him. I can barely speak, much less pray, because I am so shattered by what he has done.

This guy has been my friend for several years now and suddenly he pulls this lame stunt and kills our friendship in a matter of minutes. I feel like I am grieving because this feels like it’s that kind of loss. I’m just stunned, Lord.

How do I get over this? How can I ever trust him again? Will our friendship even exist after this? Can it exist? Do I even want to continue being friends with him? I’m so filled with anger I can’t even process these questions.

Help me Lord Jesus, I pray, Amen.

Prayer About Being Angry With Your Parents

God, I hate my parents!  They won’t let me do what I want to do! I’ve 14 years old and I am old enough to not need their supervision.

But, No, they insist on making me abide by their rules on this and I am so angry. Don’t they know I’m not a little kid anymore? Can’t they see that my friends get to do this kind of thing? Why can’t I? Why are they being so hard on me and treating me like I’m still in elementary school?

God, please make them change their minds and give me the freedom I want and believe I am entitled to. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Prayer For Being Angry With Yourself

Dear God in heaven, I don’t like myself at this moment and I am so angry with myself. I have made a stupid mistake and I don’t know how to take it back, make it go away.

I shouldn’t have done what I did, but I also didn’t think it would blow up on me the way it has. I am angry with myself that I took an easy way out and it’s now become the hardest thing I have to deal with.

Please help me see myself the way you see me–as one who is loved and accepted, with grace and mercy. I pray this prayer in the name of Jesus, Amen.

Prayer For Being Ashamed Of Your Anger

O God, what have I done?  I completely lost my temper in the grocery store yesterday over some simple, small thing that just set me off. I was yelling at a complete stranger in the middle of the cereal aisle.

What has happened to me? When I saw how everyone was staring at me and filming me with their phones, I was so ashamed. I had become “that person.” I just left my cart and hurried out. I couldn’t believe that was me.

I realize I have a lot going on right now, but something is off-center if I am getting that angry over groceries. 

Help me to get at the root of what I’m afraid of because the anger is a reaction to me feeling fear about something. Help me release this shame to you and receive your healing touch in my thoughts.  I pray this in the name of Jesus, Amen.

Prayer About Having Road Rage

Lord God, I think I need some help.  I got so angry with some drivers on the highway today that I flew into a rage, yelling and screaming and pounding my steering wheel. I wanted to hurt them because they had cut me off and almost made me wreck. I was afraid I could have been in a wreck because of them.

I was so overwhelmed that it took several minutes for me to begin to breathe normally again. And then I looked in the rearview mirror and saw my child cowering in fear and crying because of how I had acted. Jesus.

I am beyond what I know to do. Her look at me crushed me. I can’t do that to my child. I can’t let my anger explode in that way ever again so I need to find a way to not let my feelings rise to that level. Help me Lord Jesus, I pray, Amen.

Prayer About Being Angry With Your Teenager

Jesus, I’m so angry with my teenage child! They completely lied to me and then snuck out with their friends and got drunk at a party.

Do they not get that they’re underage and could have gotten arrested? Can they not grasp the simple fact that they lied to their mother?  Oh, this child!

Thankfully, I guess, they’re hungover and crashed in their bed, so I have time to cool down and process all of this in some sort of calm manner. I’m praying to you God because I am still high on the temper scale with that boy/girl.

I know I have to be the adult and the mom and all of that, but they really do need to realize the depth of what they have done here. I pray for the right words and the right emotion and the right moment to talk with them.  Help them, and help me, Lord.  In the name of Jesus, I pray, Amen.

Consider This

Anger is an emotion we can be afraid of in many ways.  Overall, we’re told or learn from societal influence, that anger is bad. Perhaps we should focus on unhealthy anger. Like blowing our top over silly, small things. Or losing our temper because we didn’t get our way.

But anger can be a good emotion. We should feel anger over injustice and when someone is harming the weak, for instance. In closing I share this extended quote from scripture:

“You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires;  to be made new in the attitude of your minds;  and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.

Therefore, each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body.  “In your anger do not sin”: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry,  and do not give the devil a foothold” (Ephesians 4.22-27, NIV).

You notice that the Apostle Paul doesn’t tell us to not get angry.  He reminds us that if and when we get angry, to not sin in the midst of feeling what we’re feeling.  He encourages us to deal with what we are feeling quickly, and to not hold onto the anger.

Please share your prayer journey with us, including your prayer requests, in the comments section at the bottom of this post.