Last Updated on October 19, 2023 by Emma
The night is dark and you lay in bed with a deep sigh. This is not a sigh of relief but of disappointment.
We’ve all been there. The day didn’t seem to go the way we thought. The conversations we run over and over again in our heads. The relationships that you thought were solid are crumbling. The hope you had about the future is taken away.
I’ve been there. Early in my adult life, God took me through a season of waiting. I struggled with disappointment after disappointment as nothing seemed to open up.
My husband and I had boldly followed Christ’s leading on our lives and He was so good and gracious as we began this journey and then silence.
I learned a lot in that year of waiting. I learned that I had put my hope in things other than the Lord. These were good things but God was challenging me to put my whole trust in Him alone.
When I get disappointed now I can identify a little more quickly where I have misplaced my hope and turn back to God. I no longer hate feeling disappointed because I see how God uses it to refine my heart and challenge me to grow closer to Him.
That doesn’t mean that disappointments in life are easy or that I want disappointments in my life, just that I can acknowledge them for what they are and praise God through the disappointments.
The following prayers have been written to help turn you back to Christ in those seasons of disappointment. We would love to pray with you during this time. Please comment below so we can pray with you.
Short Prayer For Disappointment
God, help me when I feel disappointed. Help me to now allow my disappointment to affect others. Allow me to see this disappointment as a way that I can grow in the future. Challenge me to see if there is something I could have done differently. Ultimately help me to be drawn back to you. God, help me with my disappointment. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Prayer For Wisdom When Disappointed
God, you are the beginning of all wisdom. You offer it freely to those who ask. So today I’m asking for your wisdom, specifically in the area of my disappointment.
Father, you know the situation I am in and the disappointment I face. I want to ask for wisdom on how to handle the disappointment.
If you are using this disappointment to reveal an idol in my life, please reveal that to me.
If you are using this disappointment to open my eyes to a relationship that needs to change, give me the courage to follow through.
God, if you have allowed me to be disappointed today to draw me closer to you, do not allow me to miss this opportunity.
Father, if today I experience this disappointment because you have a lesson for me to learn, help me to be humble to learn it.
God, I pray you give me wisdom to see why I’m experiencing this disappointment and struggle. Then I pray you give me the strength to deal with my disappointment in a way that honors you.
Finally, I thank you for this promise that you will restore me after hard seasons like this.
And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. (1 Peter 5:10 ESV)
Father, I pray for wisdom in this time of disappointment. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Prayer To Be In The Present While Disappointment
Heavenly Father, you are always near. I appreciate so much that I can call on you and that you hear.
The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth. (Psalm 145:18 ESV)
God, it is so easy to be swept up in my feelings of disappointment. Help me instead to be present with the people and situation you have for me at that moment.
Help me to be present for the sake of others. Allow them to see a bit of your constant presence, even in my hard times. For your glory, I pray today, that you help me be present even when I’m disappointed.
God, in those moments of disappointment, help me to not get grumpy that I might ruin the moment for others. The temptation in disappointing situations is to be focused on my own problem. Help me to be selfless instead.
Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. (Philippians 2:3 ESV)
Father, I ask that you also save me from my own thoughts that consistently run through my head when I’m disappointed and all the negativity that comes with them. Instead, fill me with your vision on how to move forward. Help me to have your eyes.
Father, I pray that in the moment of disappointment that you hold me close and keep my eyes on you. Help me to have a clear mind and be present. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Prayer To Reject Judgment While Being Disappointed
Father, you are the great judge.
He will render to each one according to his works: to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life; but for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury. (Romans 2:6-8 ESV)
Sovereign God, it is easy to see the disappointment in my life and judge others. Help me to refrain from doing this. Help me to see the big picture and extend patience and grace to the situation.
People will disappoint. They will fall short of our expectations. They will even sin against us. Allow me to extend love in these situations.
Bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. (Colossians 3:13 ESV)
God, if the disappointment continues with an individual help me to identify with a clear mind what the problem is and how to address the situation. If there is a need for repentance and forgiveness make that clear to both parties.
Father, you alone have the power to judge but it is my sinful nature to want to judge when I’m disappointed. Keep me from this temptation. I pray this in Jesus’ name, Amen.
Prayer To Stand Strong In Disappointment
God, you are strong. I echo this praise from Exodus back to you.
The Lord is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation; this is my God, and I will praise him, my father’s God, and I will exalt him. (Exodus 15:2 ESV)
Father, I need you to help me to stand strong right now in your truth because this world is full of disappointments that are wearing me down.
God, you have placed me as a leader in this disappointing situation and I want to handle it in a way that honors you. Others are looking up to me and I want to direct them to you. Help me to stand strong during this disappointment.
Your steadfast love and faithfulness to your people are what we need to focus on now and not the disappointments that are in front of us.
Give me excitement for the things you are doing and help me stand strong. Open my eyes to your plans instead of being focused on my disappointments. I pray this in Jesus’ name, Amen.
Prayer For Excellence While Being Disappointed
God, Thank you for giving me work and relationships. You are a God that understands both of those aspects of my life. You are also a God who has experienced disappointment in these areas.
However, you did not scrap it all and start over you continued with your plan. The plan was that one day a Savior would come and make a way back into the right relationship with you.
Father, when I feel disappointed please help me to also continue in excellence. Help me to be excellent in everything I do even when it is not what I thought would happen.
Allow me to see that you are at work and help me to let go of my disappointment so that I can focus on what you have called me to do. I pray this in Jesus’ name, Amen.
Closing Thoughts
Handling disappointment is done in so many different ways. However, the best way to begin to deal with disappointment is by going to God in prayer.
We are glad you feel the same way and are seeking God during this time of disappointment.
God is good to answer our prayers, to guide us through these times, and to restore us in the end. Our hope is that these prayers will help you draw near to God.
We would love to be praying with you as you work through the disappointments in your life. If you comment below we will begin praying for you.