Last Updated on October 19, 2023 by Emma
Feel like praying before you go for a workout? Need spiritual strength prior to strengthening your physical body?
You may not think about praying before you go to the gym, or out on a run. You may reserve praying for “serious” matters like people in the hospital or natural disasters, and that’s okay. Yet scripture reminds us that we can pray about anything at all.
“And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests” (Ephesians 6.18, NIV).
Since prayer is conversation with God, why not take advantage of every opportunity to talk with him? You can use these prayers to get you started. They are written based on what time of day you are working out, or at home. You can change any of the details to fit your specific situation and then begin to pray.
Perhaps this exercise in prayer will bring greater focus in your workout. Perhaps this prayer practice will deepen your relationship with God. Put in some regular repetitions and watch your faith deepen and strengthen as you do. We invite you to also share your prayer requests or insights in the comments section down below.
A Short Prayer Before a Workout
Dear Lord, I want to honor and glorify you in my physical body, just as I do in my spirit and mind. I pray for a good workout without any injuries or muscle strain. I just want to be in the best physical health I can be, so I can serve you in all I do. I pray this in the name of Jesus, Amen.
Prayer Before a Morning Workout
Dear God, I am headed to the gym for my morning workout. I’m trying to bring my spiritual life and physical life together more, so I’m praying to you. I believe you hear me and want me to pray to you about anything in my life.
I am so grateful I am in good health and can get up and move around each day. I am thankful I can afford to pay for a gym membership and have a car to drive myself back and forth. I have noticed I feel better when I exercise on a regular basis.
I pray for each person I will encounter at the gym–may they see your grace and mercy in how I treat them. I ask that I workout smart and not have any injury as I lift weights and jog on the treadmill. Thank you again that I can do all of this. I pray this in the strong name of Jesus, Amen.
Prayer Before a Midday Workout
Dear Jesus, I need to get a workout today and the only time I can do it is over my lunch break. Help me to make the most of my time and be efficient in my exercise choices today.
I am grateful that my office building has a gym located downstairs so that it is convenient for all of the people who work here. I should be able to squeeze this in, get showered and get back to my workstation without any hassle. I pray for me to be focused as I workout.
While I usually enjoy chatting with other folks and being friendly, I’m asking for a pass on that today, Lord. I need to workout and get some of my stress out of my body. Thank you that I’m taking the necessary steps to engage in self care. I used to ignore this need and it affected my mental ability and my emotions.
Thank you that exercise has helped be more calm and less stressed. Thank you that I’ve lost some weight as well. Mostly, though, Lord, I want to thank you for how I feel overall–such a blessing! I ask all of these things and pray this in the name of Jesus my Lord, Amen.
Prayer Before an Evening Workout
God, it has been some kind of day. I really need to get a workout tonight after work. I can feel my body tensed up and stressed out. There’s been too much pressure today and I need a good physical release with a solid workout.
I hope the gym is not too crowded so I do not have to wait to use the equipment. I just want to work out hard and work out quickly so this already long day does not have to be longer. I go to the gym to release stress, not get more of it!
I am praying to you before I go because I don’t want my attitude to spill over to anyone at the gym. I want to still be a good witness and not a negative presence. Help me to focus on the exercises and the gift that it is to be able to exercise at all. I know several people who are not able to get out and do this for a variety of reasons.
Let me be able to take advantage of this opportunity and close out my day in a positive manner with a good workout routine. Then I can get a good night’s sleep and start tomorrow as a new day, physically and spiritually. I pray this in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
Prayer Before an At-Home Workout
Lord, I cannot get to the gym now because it is not convenient with my work schedule and location. But I still need to exercise. I have gone online to find some easy workouts to do at home, so I think I can do it. I just want to get my heart rate up and let the endorphins flow.
It feels different because there’s not music blaring and other people around to interact with. I got inspired by other people, and knowing I wasn’t alone in what I was doing. I’m going to have to inspire myself and not slack off. I ask for motivation and consistency as I exercise. I also ask for creativity since I have limited equipment.
I’m starting this new thing in the morning so I am praying to you tonight. May I wake up ready to go and not make up excuses. Help me with my self discipline and focus. I want my body and health to glorify you, just as my prayers and singing praise songs does. I pray all of this in the name of Jesus, my Strength and Savior, Amen.
Final Thoughts
Exercising has consistently been shown to be a positive activity for physical health and mental health, even emotional balance. Getting a workout is a good use of your time. It does not matter too much what you do, as long as you do something. Some activity on daily basis is beneficial–just get moving.
So, if you are doing something positive with your body, for your body, why not incorporate a spiritual activity with the physical activity? Why not include God in your squats and bicep curls and see what happens? The Apostle Paul reminds that working out is a good thing, but pursuing the things of God are even more beneficial to us:
“For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come” (1 Timothy 4.8, NIV).
There is so much that can happen in a workout, especially in a gym setting. You are around other people that you can chat up and befriend. You can be motivated by others doing what you are doing. I know I have kept at the exercise routine when I observed someone older than me working out nearby (“If they are going to keep at it, then I am going to keep at it and not quit,” I thought).
You can also be a witness to others by how you exercise. Are you grumpy and frowning all the time? Or will you see the fact that you can workout as a blessing and seek to be positive? Will you wipe down the equipment after you use it? Will you monopolize the equipment as you exercise by looking at your phone most of the time instead of working out?
There is no where we go as followers of Jesus that we are not witnesses to who he is and what he has done in our lives. The Gospels repeatedly tell us that loving God is something we do we everything about our lives, including our very bodies.
“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength” (Mark 12.30, NIV).
Praying about a workout may seem like something that God does not care about. But God cares about everything in our lives because there is no aspect of our lives that God does not love and no person he doesn’t care about. He wants it all. Let prayers like these widen your perspective on God. Let these prayers open up your heart to the One who matters most.
Exercise the freedom you have in Jesus as you pray, as you workout, and as you live in the fullness of the Spirit!