8 Prayers For Self-Love

Use these prayers for self-love to ask God to remind you of your invaluable worth, unshakable value, and unchangeable identity in Christ alone.

What Does The Bible Say About Self-Love?

The word “self-love” has become quite a buzzword in our culture over the last few years. It is often projected to be the cure for negative thoughts that people have toward themselves and the best way to conquer problems with poor self-esteem.

So what exactly is self-love? Is it based on biblical concepts or is it a sin?

I have to be honest that huge red flags go up in my mind when I hear people talking excessively about self-love because it feels like it is promoting selfishness and inflated self-absorption.

But…instead of taking my word for it, let’s first look at what it is and if it lines up with God’s Word.

PsychCentral describes self-love as the idea “that you accept yourself fully, treat yourself with kindness and respect, and nurture your growth and wellbeing.”

They explain that self-love encompasses not only how you treat yourself but also the thoughts and feelings you have toward yourself. They include examples of self-love in action such as saying positive things to yourself, recognizing your strengths, and setting realistic expectations for yourself (among many others).

This description does not sound all that bad, right? It can be very helpful in developing a healthier self-image, improving low self-esteem, and developing compassion for yourself.

The caution I have is focusing so much time and energy on yourself that you lose sight of seeking God first in everything you do.

Also, realize that God has a plan and purpose for your life that includes living for Him and loving others. It is important that we do not misplace the priorities that God has ordained for our lives.

So what does God say about this idea regarding self-love?

It is critically important to remember that the source of our value and acceptance does not come based on just any positive thought we have toward ourselves. It comes based on the truth of what God says about us and the promises He speaks over our lives.

We know that we are fearfully and wonderfully made because we are created in the image of God. God is good and has not made junk. You are much beloved, precious, and valuable to Him, and given unique talents and abilities.

God also has very good plans and purposes for Your life, and He has given You a blessed hope and an incredible future that cannot be revoked.

These promises allow us to confidently trust that our lives are significant and will be used by God to accomplish great purposes that glorify God.

These truths are the reason that we can love ourselves, have confidence in who God has said that we are, and trust that even when we are disappointed in ourselves God has redeemed us and is at work within us.

While it is nice to talk about these amazing things that God has done for us, most of us still really struggle with low self-esteem, low self-confidence, inadequacy, or beating ourselves up for something we said or did.

First, know that you are not alone, and as humans all of us struggle with these things at times.

In addition, I encourage you to try to examine your heart about where these feelings are coming from.

Do you struggle with people-pleasing or are you continually receiving hurtful comments from someone?

Bring these comments before God and see if they match what He says about you. Is there a sin you need to confess or do you need to acknowledge a lie that was declared over you?

Finally, whether you lack self-confidence or just want to grow deeper roots in your faith in God, I think the regular practice of meditating on the Scriptures regarding who we are in Christ is so important. It is so easy to allow the things of the world to distract us from what God has said is true about our lives.

Satan also can use his lies to steal, kill, and destroy. To combat these things, we need to be equipped for battle with the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.

If you need ideas on where to start, here are some Bible verses on your Identity in Christ.

Now that we have talked about some of the complexities of self-love, use these prayers for self-love to help direct you to God as your only true source of value, worth, and identity, allowing Him to restore and redeem your self-esteem, self-confidence, and sense of identity through the lens of His love and truth.

Prayers For Self Love

1. Short Prayer For Self Love

Dear Lord Jesus,

I come to You today asking that You help me embrace the overwhelming love You have for me. I do not feel that I am good enough to be loved by You and am struggling with a lack of self-worth. Help me accept that I am unashamedly loved by You and remind me of the endless ways You have demonstrated Your love to me.

The truth is that You lavish me with Your love because of who You are as a loving and gracious God, not because of anything I have said or done to deserve Your love.

Let me receive this as a gift from You. The depth of Your love for me sent Your Son to die on the cross so that I could be redeemed of my sins and be restored to an intimate relationship with You. Thank You, Jesus!

Allow me to trust Your promises about my identity in Christ, including that I am beloved and precious in Your sight. As I fully accept Your love for me, let me also begin to love myself as someone in whom the Lord adores and has adopted into His family.

May the power of Your love transform my life and free me from my struggles with low self-esteem, lack of self-confidence, and unworthiness.

I know that You are at work in me. I love You, Lord! Amen.

2. A Prayer To Know Your Worth In Christ

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. – 1 Peter 2:9

Dear Father God,

I pray that You will remind me today that no matter what others say about me or what I tell myself about my value, that I will always remember that I have infinite value to You.

You created me in Your own image in holiness and reverence, uniquely gifting me with talents and a personality designed just for me. You have chosen me to be Your special possession and have adopted me into Your family as a child of the living God.

In addition, Your depth of Your love for me would not allow my sinfulness to separate me from You. Instead, You sent Your most beloved Son to descend from heaven and die upon the cross on my behalf, bearing the wrath of God for my sins so that I can be redeemed and reunited with God.

The sacrifice that Christ made for me proves over and over again how valuable I am to God and that He would spare no expense to restore and redeem my relationship with Him.

As I consider what You did for me, Jesus, I am humbled and fall to my knees in worship and thanksgiving as I think of what You sacrificed so that I could know how valuable my life is to You and the worth You have placed on my soul. Thank You for loving me and redeeming me. May I never forget that I have been declared worthy by the God of the universe.

My life is Yours, sweet Jesus. Amen.

3. A Prayer To Accept God’s Love For You

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. – Romans 8:35-39

Dear Father God,

You have showered Your love upon my life in countless ways, from before I was even born until now. You have poured blessings into my life, sent Your Son Jesus to die for my sins, allowed me to fall in love with You and accept Christ as Lord, and continue to love me as I journey with You through faith.

Despite all of these things, I often struggle to accept Your gracious love and feel like I do not deserve the love and kindness You offer.

Please help me receive Your love as a precious gift that You long to give to me and free me from my need to earn Your approval. The definition of grace is an unmerited gift, something given by God that I do not deserve. Allow me to humble myself and accept Your love as a gift, giving thanks to God for the amazing favor and blessings He gives regardless of whether I feel worthy of the gift.

Thank You for the reminder that there is nothing that can separate me from the love of Christ (regardless of how I feel). If neither angels nor demons, neither life nor depth, nor anything else in the world can separate me from God’s love, then even my own emotions or thoughts toward myself do not have the power to separate me from the love of God. Thank You for Your faithfulness, God!

As I allow the truth of God’s love for me to permeate my life, may I be able to love and serve God with an even greater freedom. As I embrace Your love, Lord, help me also to love others with the powerful, transforming love of God. May I walk in greater intimacy with You as my spirit is strengthened to do great and mighty things for the glory of God by the power of God’s love at work in my life.

Your love is better than life and I want to exemplify this holy love in my words, actions, and acts of worship. I trust You to make this a reality in my life. Great are You, Lord! Amen.

4. A Prayer To Realize Your Identity In Jesus

Dear Precious Lord,

There are so many influences that are constantly telling me how to be a better student, employee, mother, friend, neighbor, and person. Lord, I do not want my identity to be founded upon what I have accomplished or how much money I have or how many Facebook friends I have. I want to base my identity on the truths and promise of who You have declared that I am in Christ.

Scripture is filled with declarations of who I am as a beloved child of God, made holy and blameless, strong and courageous by God’s mighty power, filled with the Holy Spirit, equipped for good works, redeemed and called to shine the light of Christ into the world. These are the realities (and others found in God’s Word) upon which I want to live my life.

Please reveal to me lies that I have accepted about who I am or what I can do, and heal my spirit from these chains as You free me to live an abundant life in Christ, allowing the truths about my identity from Your Word to wash over my soul and make me whole.

Dear Jesus, may I be steadfast in my beliefs about who You have declared me to be as I face the storms of life. Let my hope in Christ and Your abiding love cause me to rest securely in Your promises, clinging to You as my refuge and strength and source of help.

Thank You for reminding me that I am redeemed and forgiven with a glorious inheritance that cannot ever be destroyed. May You continue to transform my life by the renewing of my mind with Your truths as You speak over me anew how true and trustworthy is my identity in Christ.

You will fulfill Your promises for my life. May my life reflect who I am in Christ so that I may overflow the love, hope, joy, and peace to the world around me.

Be glorified in me, O Jesus! Amen.

5. A Prayer To Know You Are A Daughter Of The King

Daughters of kings are among your honored women; at your right hand is the royal bride in gold of Ophir. Listen, daughter, and pay careful attention: Forget your people and your father’s house. Let the king be enthralled by your beauty; honor him, for he is your lord. – Psalm 45:9-11

Dear Father God,

Sometimes it feels like my life is so insignificant, but You have declared that I am the daughter of a King. I pray that You remind me that I am a child of God and the daughter of the King of kings and Lord of lords. You are the mighty King of the entire universe, the King of all nations of the earth, and yet You have loved me and called me by name to become Your daughter.

I am royalty with full access to all the extravagant blessings and lavish gifts given to the royal family. You have given me an inheritance in Your royal kingdom, but You also bountifully bless me with every good and perfect gift in my life now. In fact, You have blessed me with every spiritual blessing in Christ (Ephesians 1:3). What more could I ask for?

When I feel unworthy and insignificant, please help me claim my identity that I am a daughter of the King who is chosen by God to be part of His royal priesthood and holy nation, the redeemed of the Lord. One day every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, and yet I have the highest honor and greatest privilege of knowing Him now.

The King of all creation chooses to spend time with me, listen to my heart, empower me with strength and confidence, and answer my prayers today because I am His precious daughter. Praise be to the Kings of kings! He has declared that I am beautiful and rejoices in me with singing. May I radiate His beauty and holiness in every part of my life.

Thank You, Abba Father. Amen.

6. A Prayer For Your Confidence To Be Rooted In Christ

Such confidence we have through Christ before God. Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God. He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant—not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. – 2 Corinthians 3:4-6

Dear Lord God,

I bow before You today asking that You will allow me to be confident in myself not because of what I am able to do but because of what You can do through my life fully surrendered to You.

I am not competent in my own strength, but You give strength and wisdom that allow me to glorify Your name by the words I speak and the actions I take. May I walk by the Spirit, following Your lead so that I may fulfill the will You have for my life.

When I start to experience doubts and fears in my life, remind me that I can call on Your name and You will answer me. You will supply every need I have and Your grace is sufficient for me to live a faith-filled life. As I see You working through my life, may my confidence in Christ grow stronger and the roots of my faith grow deeper.

Help me remember that I do not have to have all the answers, and as I seek to walk closely with You each day Your light and love will overflow from my life. When I embrace my weaknesses, it allows others to see that You are the source of my strength, bringing even more praise to You.

Thank You for renewing my confidence in what You are doing through my life each day.

I love You, Lord. Amen.

7. A Prayer To Increase Your Low Self-Confidence

Dear Heavenly Father,

I confess that I am really battling with low self-confidence and poor self-esteem right now. I don’t believe that I am fulfilling my full potential of who You created me to be, but I am so insecure and feel weary and emotionally battered. I bring these concerns before You, knowing that You are the only One who can heal these wounded places in my heart and soul.

Lord, I ask that You allow me to see myself through Your eyes as one bearing the fingerprints of God, given special talents and abilities that I can use to fulfill the good purposes and plans You have for my life. Please improve my self-confidence as I rely on You to be the source of my strength.

Remind me that ultimately my sense of value and worth is not based on success as the world defines it– getting a better job, having more friends, having the nicest home– but is merely because You have chosen me to be Your special possession and dearly loved child.

Allow my identity in Christ to continue to build me up, giving me the strength and courage to walk confidently as a valued member of God’s family.

I lay down at the foot of the cross any feelings of inferiority and fears of failure. Instead, I choose to trust Your declaration that I can do all things through Christ and that You will supply everything I need in my life. Nothing is impossible for You, God.

Thank You that You promise to always be with me. As I walk by faith, You will do mighty things through my life. Let me embrace my weaknesses as opportunities for the power of the Spirit to work through my life and display the mighty strength of God through me.

Thank You that because of Your unceasing love for me, I can grow in the self-confidence and self-esteem I possess. You are so good to me. Amen.

8. A Prayer to Love Others Better As I Accept Self-Love

Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” – Matthew 22:37-39

Dear Jesus,

I know that You have commanded us to love others as we love ourselves and I desperately want to demonstrate the love of Christ to others, but I have found it so difficult to accomplish this when I do not truly embrace the love You have for me.

Please give me the grace to accept that You love and adore me for who I am, so that I have an abundance of love to give to those around me. Also, remind me that I first need to love You with everything that I am before I can love my neighbors.

Jesus, I praise You that God is love and that there is no limit to the amount of love that You pour into my life like a fountain that is always flowing.

Please help me overcome the barriers I have erected that prevent me from receiving Your love and allow me to accept this gracious gift with open arms and a thankful heart. As my heart is filled with Your love and acceptance, then may this overflow into acts of love and compassion that I can show to others in my life.

Remind me that loving others does not mean forcing myself to perform good deeds out of a sense of duty, but it is divinely caring about people because of how God has transformed my life which then leads to a desire to bless others because of my deep love for God. Lord, equip me to do loving acts for others as You pour bountiful gifts of love and joy into my life.

Thank You, sweet Jesus, for befriending me and showering me with Your love. Let me bask in the love You have for me, and then humbly turn this into loving kindness toward other people You place in my life.

I rejoice that You are the Lord of my life. Amen.