“The Lord is close to the brokenhearted,” the psalmist wrote, not distant during our worst seasons, not waiting for us to pull ourselves together first, but close precisely when a heart is in pieces.
These thirty verses are for whatever has broken your heart, a relationship, a loss, a dream that didn’t happen the way you hoped.
Pray these without rushing to feel better. Nearness comes before healing, not after.
Prayer for the Brokenhearted
1. Psalms 34:18 (KJV)
“The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.”
Prayer: You are close to the brokenhearted, and You save those crushed in spirit. Be close to mine right now.
Let nearness be something I can actually feel today, not just believe.
2. Psalms 147:3 (KJV)
“He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds.”
Prayer: Heal my broken heart and bind up this wound, however long that healing actually takes.
Let healing not be rushed, but let it still be real.
3. Isaiah 61:1 (KJV)
“The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;”
Prayer: You were sent to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom to whatever’s held captive in me.
Let this ancient calling reach into my exact, present pain.
4. Psalms 51:17 (KJV)
“The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.”
Prayer: A broken and contrite heart You will not despise. Let me trust You won’t turn away from mine.
Let this brokenness be welcome in Your presence, not something to hide.
5. Psalms 73:26 (KJV)
“My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever.”
Prayer: My flesh and my heart may fail, but You are the strength of my heart forever.
Let Your strength stand in exactly where mine gives out.
6. Psalms 42:11 (KJV)
“Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God.”
Prayer: Why am I downcast, why so disturbed within me? Let me put my hope in You, even while I ask honestly.
Let honesty come before I try to talk myself out of this pain.
7. Matthew 5:4 (KJV)
“Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.”
Prayer: You called those who mourn blessed, and promised comfort. I’m holding You to that today.
Let comfort come even though nothing about today feels blessed.
8. 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 (KJV)
“Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.”
Prayer: You are the God of all comfort. Comfort me the way only You actually can right now.
Let comfort reach the exact place that’s currently broken.
9. Psalms 6:6-9 (KJV)
“I am weary with my groaning; all the night make I my bed to swim; I water my couch with my tears. Mine eye is consumed because of grief; it waxeth old because of all mine enemies. Depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity; for the LORD hath heard the voice of my weeping. The LORD hath heard my supplication; the LORD will receive my prayer.”
Prayer: I am worn out from groaning, but You have heard my weeping and accepted my prayer.
Let being heard be enough for today, even before anything visibly changes.
10. Psalms 143:4 (KJV)
“Therefore is my spirit overwhelmed within me; my heart within me is desolate.”
Prayer: My spirit grows faint within me, my heart is dismayed. Let You meet me exactly there.
Let this honesty about how faint I feel be met with real presence.
11. Psalms 55:22 (KJV)
“Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.”
Prayer: I’m casting this burden on You, trusting You to sustain me, not let me be shaken.
Let casting it be real relief, not just words.
12. Psalms 62:8 (KJV)
“Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us. Selah.”
Prayer: Let me pour out my heart to You, trusting You at all times, You who are my refuge.
Let pouring out be safe, not something You’ll flinch away from.
13. Lamentations 3:22-23 (KJV)
“It is of the LORD’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.”
Prayer: Your mercies are new every morning, great is Your faithfulness, even after a night this hard.
Let today’s mercy be enough for today’s pain.
14. Psalms 30:5 (KJV)
“For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.”
Prayer: Weeping may endure for a night, but let joy come in the morning that follows.
Let this night not feel permanent, even though right now it does.
15. John 14:1 (KJV)
“Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.”
Prayer: Don’t let my heart be troubled beyond what it can hold. Let me trust in You, even now.
Let trust hold steady even while everything else feels unsteady.
16. Psalms 34:17 (KJV)
“The righteous cry, and the LORD heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles.”
Prayer: I’m crying out, hear me, and deliver me from all my troubles.
Let crying out be met with real deliverance, not just acknowledgment.
17. Romans 8:38-39 (KJV)
“For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Prayer: Nothing, not this heartbreak, can separate me from Your love.
Let that certainty hold even on the days I can’t feel it.
18. Isaiah 43:2 (KJV)
“When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.”
Prayer: When I pass through the waters, You are with me, they will not sweep over me.
Let this heartbreak not overtake me while I’m still finding my footing.
19. Psalms 27:13-14 (KJV)
“I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.”
Prayer: I will still see Your goodness. Let me wait for You, and let my heart take courage.
Let courage come slowly if it has to, but let it come.
20. 1 Peter 5:7 (KJV)
“Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.”
Prayer: I’m casting this whole broken heart onto You, because You genuinely care.
Let casting it be real, not just something I say and keep carrying anyway.
21. Psalms 40:1-2 (KJV)
“I waited patiently for the LORD; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry. He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings.”
Prayer: Let me wait patiently for You, and let You lift me out of this pit, however long it takes.
Let waiting not feel wasted, even when it’s slow.
22. Nahum 1:7 (KJV)
“The LORD is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that trust in him.”
Prayer: You are good, a refuge in times of trouble, You care for those who trust in You.
Let being cared for feel real, not distant, right now.
23. Psalms 121:1-2 (KJV)
“I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth.”
Prayer: I lift my eyes to the hills, where does my help come from? My help comes from You.
Let my eyes stay lifted instead of fixed on this heartbreak.
24. Psalms 34:19 (KJV)
“Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the LORD delivereth him out of them all.”
Prayer: Many are my afflictions, but You deliver me from them all, including this one.
Let deliverance be as thorough as this promise claims.
25. Isaiah 41:10 (KJV)
“Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.”
Prayer: Don’t let me be dismayed, You are my God, You will strengthen and help me.
Let strengthening come before I completely run dry.
26. Psalms 71:20-21 (KJV)
“Thou, which hast shewed me great and sore troubles, shalt quicken me again, and shalt bring me up again from the depths of the earth. Thou shalt increase my greatness, and comfort me on every side.”
Prayer: Restore my life again, and comfort me once more, the way You’ve done before.
Let this not be the first time You’ve healed a broken heart of mine.
27. Philippians 4:6-7 (KJV)
“Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”
Prayer: Let me bring this to You instead of carrying it alone, and let peace guard my heart and mind.
Let peace reach this exact heartbreak, not just distract from it.
28. Psalms 46:1 (KJV)
“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.”
Prayer: You are my refuge and strength, a very present help in this exact kind of trouble.
Let help feel present, not distant, today.
29. Revelation 21:4 (KJV)
“And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.”
Prayer: One day You will wipe every tear from my eyes. Let that promise steady me even today.
Let hope for that day carry me through this one.
30. Psalms 30:11-12 (KJV)
“Thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing: thou hast put off my sackcloth, and girded me with gladness; To the end that my glory may sing praise to thee, and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give thanks unto thee for ever.”
Prayer: Turn my wailing into dancing, clothe me with joy, so my heart may sing and not be silent.
Let joy be waiting for me at the end of this, not just relief.
Conclusion
Nearness was never conditional on having it together first. That closeness shows up exactly when a heart is in the most pieces, not after it’s been swept up and reassembled.
Let yourself actually be brokenhearted for a while. There’s no prize for rushing past it.
For a specific loss behind this heartbreak, a prayer for grief and comfort goes deeper into that, and a prayer for comfort and peace pairs well with this one.