Last Updated on October 19, 2023 by Emma
Do you need to pray to be able to love yourself? Are you in need of healing from within?
It can be tough to care for yourself sometimes, when most of your time is spent caring for others, or handling other people’s messes or problems. Whether you call it self love, or self care, it is appropriate and needed to focus on yourself on a regular basis. It’s not being selfish at all.
The popular verse covering the second greatest commandment, “Love your neighbor as you love yourself,” contains an important truth. Most people focus on the loving others part and miss out on the key–loving yourself. You can’t love others until, or unless, you actually love yourself.
Let these seven helpful prayers for self love and healing be an open door for you to walk through in your growing relationship with God. You can modify any of the prayers to better suit your particular circumstances, as needed.
You may also want to pray about getting closer to God, or about living in the present moment.
“In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 1.4-6, NIV).
The Apostle Paul gives us insight into ourselves in these couple of verses. It is God who began a good work in you. Not a bad work, or a worthless work, but a good work, a work that is valuable and worthy.
And did you notice the second part? God carries it on to completion. God finishes the work started in you. God doesn’t leave you on your own. God is right there with you, until the day of Christ Jesus!
Surely the good work that God started, and is finishing, in you is worth taking care of, isn’t it? So, self-love, engaging in self-care, is a worthy activity in your life. The prayers here are a way for you to go to God with your desire to care for yourself. The One who created you can guide you on this new and exciting journey.
As you pray, we invite you to share your prayer requests and celebrations with us in the comments section at the end of this article.
Short Prayer For Self Love
Dear God, I want to care for myself in better ways than I am now, but I don’t know what to do, or where to start. I am praying to you because I want to love myself so I can love others better. I want to do this in the right way, so please guide me. I trust you to help me on this new path I’m taking. I pray this in the name of Jesus, Amen.
Prayer For Loving Myself
Dear Lord Jesus, it’s okay to love myself, isn’t it? I don’t mean in a self-centered or narcissistic way, but to love who I am. I think I will do better in all aspects of my life if I can accept myself for all of who I am–the good and the bad.
You love me unconditionally, yet I have trouble loving myself. By your grace, enable me to accept where I am in my journey with you, and to accept all of the good things you have done in my life up to now. I know you are not done with me and I believe that self love is an important part of loving you and loving others.
I also think, Lord, that this is a step that is going to take a while, so give me the perspective of time as I learn to love myself for who I am in you, and who I will become as you continue the good work you started. I pray this prayer in the name of Jesus, the Author and Finisher of my faith, Amen.
Prayer For Healing Of Self
Father God, I need healing within me. I don’t need physical healing, but a healing of self, of the essence of who I am. I want to be a better version of myself and I can’t do that alone–I need you, Lord.
I ask that you guide me in this healing, which I believe will take a good deal of time. I have a feeling that even by praying this prayer, I am heading in a good direction. I trust that by your grace and through your mercy, I will continue along this path of healing for the rest of my life.
I am both filled with joy and dread as I pray this. I don’t know what will change within me, but I know that I do, in fact, need to change. Help me O Lord, through Christ Jesus, Amen.
Prayer For Self Love At Work
Dear God, I like what I do at my job, but I also feel like I am not standing up for myself at my workplace. I am praying that I can do better at self love at work.
I want to be able to not get dumped on with work that is not mine to do, yet also continue to be a good employee. I can’t keep up this pace of doing my job and the work of others too. I am getting overwhelmed and I don’t want to burn out.
Help me to take better care of myself and put up some needed boundaries in my work relationships. I pray for favor as I talk with different people in the coming days. I pray for strength and perseverance as I move in this positive direction. I pray all of this in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
Prayer For Self Love At Home
Lord God, I need your help and guidance for the situation I face in my home. I don’t feel like I have any time for myself. Someone always needs something from me. I’m always having to do something, go somewhere for every person in my household.
I feel like I am dwindling as a person like the real me is slowly ceasing to exist. I need some time for self love, time to focus on myself and what I need. I don’t feel selfish at all for praying about this, Lord. I desperately need your guidance as I seek to do this.
I don’t think my family is really going to understand if I ask them for this time, so I will need to actually take it. I need to say no more times and wall off some of what I do, or what I need. Help me to love myself in the coming days, as I love you with all that I am. In the name of Jesus, I pray, Amen.
Prayer For Self Love At School
God, I don’t think I can make it through this next semester if I don’t care for myself better. I am burning the proverbial candle at both ends and soon there won’t be much wax left.
I enjoy all that I am doing, but I am overloaded. I need guidance from your Spirit to know what to cut out, and where to focus my time and energy. It’s so hard when all of it is positive and helpful in some way. I just know in my gut that this is a step I need to take.
I pray for the wisdom to make good decisions in the next few weeks as I try to love myself in better ways than I have been doing. I make this prayer with hope through Jesus, Amen.
Prayer To Stop Criticizing Myself
Dear Lord, my friend alerted me to a bad habit I have. I am so self-critical. I tell myself how wrong I am, or how stupid I am, every time I make a mistake. I feel so bad about myself. I don’t think I have the confidence to do much of anything.
I need your help, Lord. I need to stop criticizing myself so badly, and so often. Please enable me to calm my negative self-talk. I realize it may take time, but I want to love who I truly am. I want to accept who I am, and the truth that I can grow and improve as a human being.
Please help me to see myself as you see me, dear Lord, perfectly loved. I ask this in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
Consider This
When we hear words like self love, we can be tempted to think it means to turn inward, at the exclusion of everyone around us. But what it actually means is that we keep ourselves in the proper position, in relation to everyone else. Self love isn’t selfishness, it is taking care of yourself, so that you are a better person, and can, thusly, care for others as well.
Sometimes you need to be a better coach for yourself and not your worst critic. Remember the truth of who you are in God, as the Apostle Paul poetically reminds us:
“For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” (Ephesians 2.10, NIV).
Self love, caring for yourself, is really allowing yourself to be the masterpiece that God created, redeemed, and guided to this point in time. Accept God’s guidance as you pray these prayers, today and every day.