A prayer you can pray right now
A Prayer for More Faith
Faith is not always a steady flame. There are seasons it burns bright and seasons it flickers, when doubt crowds in, prayers seem to bounce off the ceiling, and you wonder whether you believe as much as you thought you did. If that is you, you are in honest company. Some of the most faithful people in Scripture wrestled with doubt and still walked with God. Wanting more faith is itself a kind of faith, a reaching toward God even when your grip feels weak. You do not have to fake certainty you do not have. You can bring your unbelief right alongside your belief and ask God to strengthen what is faltering. Before you conclude your faith is too small, ask the One who gives it to increase it.
“And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.”Mark 9:24
“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”Hebrews 11:1
“So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”Romans 10:17
“And the apostles said unto the Lord, Increase our faith.”Luke 17:5
A prayer you can pray
Father, my faith feels smaller than I want it to be. There are days I believe deeply and days I wonder if I believe at all, and I am tired of pretending I have it all together. So I come honestly, like the father in the Gospel: Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief. I do believe, and I also doubt, and I bring both to You. Increase my faith. Where it is thin, strengthen it; where doubt has crept in, meet me there instead of shaming me. Help me to trust You even when I cannot see, remembering that faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Feed my faith through Your Word; let it grow as I hear and know You more. Steady me when circumstances shake what I believe. I am not asking to never doubt again, only to keep holding onto You, and to be held. In the name of Jesus, amen.
How to pray this
Pray this honestly, doubt and all, because God is not offended by an honest struggle. The most freeing prayer in the Gospels may be the desperate father's: Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief, faith and doubt in the same breath, and Jesus answered it. The apostles themselves prayed simply, Increase our faith, so you are in good company asking for more. Scripture describes faith as the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen, which means faith is not certainty about what you can see; it is trust in what you cannot. And Paul tells you where faith grows: faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God, so feed it by spending time in Scripture. Do not isolate in your doubt; a community of faith can carry you when yours is weak, and hearing others' stories can rekindle your own.
The One who hears this prayer
Jesus was remarkably patient with weak and struggling faith. He did not turn away the doubting father; He healed his son. He gently restored Peter, who had sunk in the water and denied Him three times. He met Thomas, who refused to believe without seeing, and offered him His wounded hands rather than a rebuke. He never demanded flawless faith as the price of His love; He welcomed the ones whose faith was small and helped it grow. He even said faith the size of a mustard seed was enough. So your flickering faith is not despised by Him; it is exactly the kind He loves to strengthen. When you ask for more faith, you are asking the One who authors it and grows it, and He answers such prayers gently, meeting you where your belief and unbelief live together.
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Questions people ask
Is it a sin to doubt God?
No. Doubt is not the opposite of faith; unbelief that refuses God is, but honest wrestling is something else. Scripture is full of faithful people who questioned, and Jesus met doubters like Thomas with patience rather than punishment. The father who cried help thou mine unbelief was answered, not rejected. Doubt can actually deepen faith when you bring it to God instead of hiding it. What matters is the direction you turn with your questions. Bring them to Him honestly, and let Him meet you there. He is not fragile, and He is not offended.
How can I have more faith?
Faith is not mainly something you squeeze out by trying harder; it is grown. Scripture says faith comes by hearing the word of God, so feed it by spending time in the Bible, where you come to know the God you are trusting. Ask Him directly for more, as the apostles did with increase our faith. Surround yourself with others whose faith can strengthen yours. And step out in the faith you do have, since faith often grows in the using. Small and honest is enough to start; God grows what is entrusted to Him.
What if my faith feels fake or forced?
Then bring that very feeling to God rather than performing a faith you do not feel. Real faith is not the same as constant strong emotion; it is trust, and trust can be quiet, even dry, and still be genuine. Some of the most faithful people go through seasons that feel hollow. Do not measure your faith by the intensity of your feelings. Keep showing up, keep praying honestly, keep feeding on His Word, and let faith be trust that holds on even when the feelings are absent. Forced feelings are fake; steady trust in the dark is faith.