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Devotion for When You’re Feeling Down

Posted on by sciancanellis

“I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength.” Philippians 4:12–13 (NIV)

I always thought of myself as fairly content. Sure, I’m occasionally curious about what it would be like to have someone else’s level of beauty, talent, wealth or success, but it doesn’t tug me too persistently.

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Yet recently sourness has invaded my thoughts in another way. Instead of coveting what someone else has, I dwell on what I once had, once could do, once was, and I contrast that with my new realities and limitations. Self-pity lurks in the space between the things I long for and the reality I live.

It’s hard to stay content when we see others enjoying things that we long for. But perhaps it’s even more difficult to combat the longing for things we did once enjoy and no longer can. Loss is an inevitable part of life. We may face loss of loved ones, loss of jobs, loss of health and abilities. Living in contentment is a daily battle, whether we’re tempted to compare to others, an ideal, or our past circumstances.

During times of significant losses, as I’ve laid down things that were precious to me, I’ve found comfort in remembering that Jesus understands loss. He set aside the glories of heaven to come to earth. Earlier in Philippians we read a description of how He “did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant” (Philippians 2:6–7).

Contentment sounds like such a deceptively mellow, easygoing word. But some days it takes fierce, stubborn courage to walk in it. For any of us facing a painful loss—job, relationship, ability, health, plans, purpose, circumstances—I pray for God to breathe the courage of gratitude into our hearts and keep nudging our focus back to Him.

Faith step: What tends to make contentment difficult for you? What helps you beat off the temptation of self-pity?

Can’t Sleep? How to Pray for Peace of Mind

Posted on by Pablo Diaz

As we face daily challenges, many of us struggle to calm our thoughts. We let health issues, relationships, work, financial needs and other important matters cloud our mind. It is in these moments of relentless disruptive thoughts that we can turn to God for a peace of mind.

I know what it’s like waking up at 3 a.m. and not being able to get back to sleep while my mind races to things I need to do and issues that need to be resolved. Nothing helps me calm my thoughts more than talking to God in prayer. I can’t explain it, but I know that prayer works. Praying for peace of mind is one of the most powerful tools we have access to as people of faith.  

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In times of great anxiety, prayer makes a difference. When we hand our urgent thoughts over to God, the peace of heaven replaces our worries. I like how it is stated in the Bible:

Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life. (Philippians 4:6-7) 

The next time you are restless and can’t sleep or focus, stop and pray for God to replace your worries with His peace.

Lord, let your peace overcome my worries and anxious thoughts.  

A Peaceful Prayer in Her Moment of Grief

Posted on by Sabra Ciancanelli

The day finally came when I had to have Suki put to sleep. Our Siamese cat had been sick a long time. She was 13 years old.

“Nothing can be done,” the veterinarian told me. “She’s too old.”

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And so I took her to the animal hospital. It’s for the best, I reassured myself. She’ll be out of her suffering. I signed the necessary papers. When it was over, I climbed into my car, slammed the door, and began to cry.

The next day I called a close friend. “I miss her,” I said tearfully. “It’s almost as though she were one of my children.”

“Remember the good feeling we get during the holidays, listening to Christmas carols?” my friend asked gently. “Well, when something upsets me, I just put on Christmas music. The old, familiar songs always help.”

At first I thought her suggestion strange. Whoever heard of Christmas carols in July? Still, I decided to try it. As I sat listening to the words  Silent night, holy night, all is calm I felt the pain lessen. Slowly, a sense of quiet filled me.

“Sleep in heavenly peace, Suki,” I prayed.

A One-Word Prayer for Strength in Difficult Times

Posted on by Bob Hostetler

Some people seem to skate through life, smiling and singing, with hardly a care in the world. I try to steer clear of those people. I’m a generally positive person, but I do have my ups and downs. There are days when things go smoothly, and I feel encouraged and energized. But then there are days when I think (and sometimes say), “Why’s my life gotta be so hard?” When I feel like I’m trying to push a rock up a steep hill. When it’s really hard to keep going. 

On days like those, and in a time like this, I’m learning to pray a little more, and sometimes I pray just one word, over and over: Ebenezer. 

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Yes, I know that was the first name of Scrooge in Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol, but the word goes back much farther than Dickens. It’s actually a biblical word. 

It’s from the days when the Philistines were the arch enemies of God’s people. (Remember Goliath? He was one of them.) The Philistines often fought Israel and oppressed them. But one day, the Bible says, “the Philistines drew near to engage Israel in battle” (1 Samuel 7:10, NIV). God’s people asked the prophet Samuel to pray, and he did:

That day the Lord thundered with loud thunder against the Philistines and threw them into such a panic that they were routed before the Israelites….Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen. He named it Ebenezer, saying, “Thus far the Lord has helped us” (1 Samuel 7:10, 12, NIV). 

Ebenezer, like many Hebrew words, combines two words: eben (stone) and ezer (help). The stone was a marker indicating, “thus far the Lord has helped us,” and expressing faith that He would lead them on from there. 

It’s a great word to pray, especially when I’m struggling to keep going. It reminds me that God has helped me many, many times before. It encourages me with the realization that He’s with me now, no less than He was then. And it energizes me to believe that He will help me, not only to keep going, but to find peace and joy, in God’s time. 

Try it. Pray “Ebenezer,” especially when you struggle to keep going. That one-word prayer can help you remember God’s faithfulness in the past and rely on His rock-solid help in the future.

A New Prayer for Tough Times

Posted on by Shawnelle Eliasen

We’ve decided that everyone goes through them. Every family.

Tough times.

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Last night, Lonny and I shared dinner with a group of friends. There was laughter. Joy. The sweetness of swapping stories. But there was deep heart-talk, too. And each of us around the table has our own form of fight.

Photo of a hymnalFollowing Jesus doesn’t mean we’re immune.

“What do you make of it all?” I ask my husband after we’re home, tucked in bed. His hands are warm around mine and whispers fall into this quiet place.

Lonny said the words we’ve shared a hundred times. “Jesus didn’t say there wouldn’t be trouble. But He did say He wouldn’t leave.”

I fell asleep with that sweet truth on my heart.

This morning, when I wake, for my quiet time reading, I study a passage about Paul and Silas. They had been seized, dragged to the marketplace, taken before magistrates, and were accused and beaten. Then they were thrown in jail.

Prison.

They were in the dark depths. An inner chamber. Feet in stocks. Maybe it was stone cold. Surely it was dark and dank. There was no physical comfort. And what did they do?

They sang.

About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. (Acts 16:25, NIV)

This stirs my soul. The beauty and strength of it settles on my heart. They were stuck. Confined. Tied down. And they sang praises.

Paul and Silas sang.

Maybe this hits me in a tender place because I can understand, to a degree, the feeling of confinement. Not a physical shackle. But I can understand being shackled to a struggle, a situation, a place of difficulty I wouldn’t choose to be.

And as I sit this morning, while I wait for the chains of this struggle to break and fall free, I understand that there’s a new way for me to pray.

Lord, while I’m here, allow me to sing.

I think about songs of praise ringing out from a cell. Praise pressing through darkness. Songs of praise lifted from bodies that were bound but from hearts that knew freedom and hope and grace.

Oh, Lord, let me sing, too.

Maybe that’s the key to surviving circumstances we’re temporarily bound in. Maybe that’s the way to be sustained. Maybe that’s the way to stay close to the Lord and keep focused–by not placing our attention on the chains but placing our affection on the One who will set us free.

Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once the prison door flew open, and everybody’s chains came loose. (Acts 16:26, NIV)

What a precious thing.

Struggle is something common to us all. If we’re not currently in a struggle, we can remember having been. Or we will be one day. It’s just life in this world. But I think of our family circumstance. The things our friends are working through, too…and I want to lift a new prayer:

Lord, let us learn to sing.

Let us sing praises.

Until the gates break open.                              

Until the chains fall off.

Until, in your mercy and grace, we are set free.

Amen.

7 Ways to Pray After a Tragedy

Posted on by Bob Hostetler

Those of us who pray in times of tragedy may often do so because we feel helpless, because there seems to be little else we can do, but that doesn’t mean that prayer is a last resort. Prayer is not inaction. It is not a throwing-up-of-the hands or a folding-of-the-hands-with-a-helpless-sigh. Oh no. Prayer, rightly understood, is action. It is hard work. It is resolve. It is revolution. It does not exhaust our concern or fulfill our obligations to those who suffer, but it can and should be the source and foundation of our efforts. After all, God says, “Call on me in the day of trouble” (Psalm 50:15, NIV). And the Bible exhorts us: “in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God” (Philippians 4:6, NIV).

So go ahead. When tragedy strikes, strike back first with your prayers. Follow these biblical examples of prayer in times of tragedy: 

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1)  Pray your confusion and frustration

Various kinds of healing oil and ointment were used as medicines in the ancient Mideast. One of the most highly prized was a “balm” that was produced in the region of Gilead, east of the Jordan River. When the prophet Jeremiah mourned the tragedies that he and his people faced, he cried, “Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there? Why then is there no healing for the wound of my people?” (Jeremiah 8:22, NIV).

When tragedy strikes, it is okay to cry out to God, as David did in Psalm 22 (and Jesus echoed while suffering on the cross): “My God, my God, why…?” (Psalm 22:1, NIV).

2)  Pray for mercy

When I hear a siren or read of a tragedy, a prayer leaps to my lips almost unbidden: “Lord, have mercy.” It is a heartfelt and helpful way to pray, for those who suffer are in desperate need of mercy and relief from pain and sorrow.

3)  Pray for freedom from fear

Psalm 23 is rightly beloved among many people, partly because it gives strength to those who are facing or have faced tragedy. Pray that those most affected by tragedy will be able to say, “Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me” (Psalm 23:4, NIV).

4)  Pray for comfort

The rest of that verse in the 23rd Psalm supplies yet another prayer focus for times of tragedy: “Your rod and your staff, they comfort me” (Psalm 23:4, NIV). Pray for the victims and those who suffer loss in a tragedy to experience comfort both natural and supernatural, both from those around them and from the knowledge of the presence of God.

5)  Pray for healing

Send prayers for healing to all who suffer—physically, mentally and emotionally—from the effects of a tragic event. Pray for the healing of all who need healing, as Jesus healed all who came to Him in His earthly ministry (see Luke 9:11).

6)  Pray for hope

One of the worst effects when tragedy strikes is the triumph of fear over hope, which can in turn bring about despair and depression. So pray that those who are touched by tragedy “may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit” (Romans 15:13, NIV).

7)  Pray for change

When Jesus gave His disciples a model prayer, He told them to pray, “Deliver us from evil” (Matthew 6:13, KJV). That is a prayer that can be turned against any tragedy, past or future. Pray it often. Pray it in faith. Pray it and be ready for God to tell you how other efforts you might take can be added to your wrestling in prayer for the victims of tragedy.

7 Prayer Tips to Reduce Stress and Overcome Obstacles

Posted on by 26096pwpadmin

Prayer is one of the greatest skills in the world. It is the spiritual power that flows from God into our daily lives. Astonishingly, prayer illuminates problems, lifts weights, overcomes obstacles, restores health, and brings many astounding results.

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1. What should you say when you pray?
Just talk to God as a child would talk to a father whom he loves and with whom he feels in harmony. Tell the Lord everything that is on your mind and in your heart.

2. Talk to the Lord in simple everyday speech.
Do not use an exaggerated formal speech. You would not talk to your father that way, and He is your Heavenly Father. In public prayer, it is perhaps proper to address God more formally. But in personal, private prayer you might, for example, say “You” to God rather than “Thou.” This does not diminish respect for Him but serves to make the relationship more natural.

3. Tell God what you want.
Tell Him you would like to have it if He thinks it is good for you. But also say and mean it, that you will leave it to Him to decide, and you will accept His decision as best for you and others involved. If you do this regularly it will be possible for God to give you the wonderful things that you should have. It is frightening, the marvelous things we miss because we insist upon something else, something only a fraction as fine as He wants to give us.

4. Practice praying during the day.
For example, talk to God as you drive your car. If you had a friend with you, you would talk to him or her, would you not? Then imagine the Lord is there, for He is, and just talk to Him about everything. If you are waiting for a bus, talk with Him. But at night, when you go to bed, I recommend that you kneel by the bed and pray. However, if this has been your custom and if it has become merely a formality, get into bed, relax and then pray.

5. Words are not always necessary when you pray.
Think how good God is, how kindly, and that He is by your side guiding you and watching over you.

6. Try helping others by your prayers.
Pray for the troubled or the ill. Pray for your loved ones, for people you do not like, and for those who have not treated you well. It will do more for you to pray for those you resent than for those you love. If you doubt this, try it for six months and see what happens.

Prayer is an emanation of power. Select some person who may be a problem to you and shoot prayers at him. Conceive of yourself as surrounding him with healthy prayers, goodwill, and faith. I have seen the most astounding, almost unbelievable, results.

7. Do not make all your prayers into the form of asking God for something.
Let your prayer consist of all the wonderful things that have happened to you. Name them, thank God for them and make that your whole prayer. You will soon find that these prayers of thanksgiving grow longer and longer, and you will have more and more things for which to thank God.

7 Easy Prayers for When You’re Feeling Overwhelmed

Posted on by Ashley Lateef

If you’re anything like me, life catches you by surprise. One moment, you feel as if everything is going fine, the next you’re overwhelmed at every turn. When those times come, as they do for us all, there is one can’t-fail solution. It’s easy, doesn’t cost a penny, and it only requires that we turn our hearts toward God.           

Prayer. I have discovered many variations that I use in different situations. I hope my examples will help you as well.

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A Centering Prayer. Once, when life had me scurrying on every level, I received a card from my friend Debbie. Her mother had just passed away and this prayer had fallen from her well-worn Bible. The prayer permeated my being, helping me place my circumstances in God’s all-capable hands. Still today, I feel healing in my body, mind, and spirit whenever I pray it:

Dear Heavenly Father,

Look upon me with your eyes of mercy. Lay Your healing hand upon me, letting Your life-giving power invade every cell of my body to the depths of my soul; cleansing, purifying, and restoring me to strength for work in Your kingdom.

Praying the Scriptures. I love to recite the words of a treasured Bible verse, inserting myself in the passage of promise. Two of my favorites paraphrases are:

Psalm 46:1: Lord, you are my refuge and strength, always ready to help me in times of trouble.

I Peter 5:7: I cast all of my anxieties on you, Lord, for you care for me.

The Stitchery Prayer: I collect antique samplers with special phrases that I keep around the house. Perhaps there’s even a plaque or picture in your home that contains words you hold dear. Why not change them into a personal prayer the next time you feel overwhelmed? One of my favorite age-old verses from my collection is this one:

“Dear Lord, you’re just in all your ways

And holy are your works each one

You’re near to all that on you call

I call in truth on you alone.”

Praying a Favorite Quote. A.W. Tozer was an American Christian pastor, author, and spiritual mentor, whom many felt was a modern-day prophet. When it comes to insights, I’ve found there’s nothing like recounting some of his words—or other poetry of the past—when I’m feeling stressed out, such as: “Sometimes when we get overwhelmed, we forget how big God is.” I reshape his time-tested wisdom into a prayer and remind myself that God’s grace is always sufficient for me, that His power is made perfect in my weakness. It helps me to stop working so hard in my own strength and rely on God and his eternal word. I simply pray: “When circumstances overwhelm and seem too much to bear, I depend on You, Lord, and trust Your precious care.”

The Breath Prayer: This is the simplest petition of all and one I used during my darkest time, when I was in withdrawal from medically-prescribed opioid pain medication. My body felt like I suffered from the worst imaginable flu, my legs moved involuntarily and my mind replayed every mistake I had made in my entire life. It was absolute torment. All I could do was breathe in “Je” and exhale “sus.” Jesus. The very Giver of breath. Over and over again. My prayers for restoration of health, and relief from pain that had plagued me for five decade, were answered in a miraculous way. Later, when I marveled that I hadn’t uttered a lofty prayer at all, I learned that the idea of “The Breath Prayer” actually dates back to ancient Christianity. Throughout time, people have spoken prayers that could be communicated in a single breath. “Lord, have mercy.” “Touch me, Lord.” “Help me cope.” These are sacred expressions linked to the rhythm of breathing, and are a way to pray without ceasing, as the Bible admonishes, whenever we feel overwhelmed.

Pray a Song. Classic hymns and old gospel tunes are great ones, but you’re sure to have your personal favorites too. I love “In the Valley He Restoreth my Soul” and “Sheltered in the Arms of God,” both by Dottie Rambo and “It is Well with My Soul,” penned way back in 1873 by Horatio Spafford, during a time of great personal tragedy. Sometimes, I sing these song-prayers at my piano, and take a trip back in time to my childhood church. That journey in itself is restorative.

The In-Basket Prayer: Once, while I was tossing and turning and sleep would not reach me, I found myself thinking of the overflowing in-basket on my desk. That’s what my life has become, I grumbled. A never-ending in-basket. Right then and there, God spoke to me, “Relabel that in-basket, Roberta. Put My name on it.” I did just that. I took my every burden to my Lord and left them there. It changed me from being overwhelmed to over-grateful, the most wonderful place to be!

6 Ways to Pray When There Are No Words

Posted on by Bob Hostetler

It is unthinkable.

Last week, a 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck Nepal, the mountainous country between Tibet and India. The epicenter was devastatingly located midway between the capital, Kathmandu, and the nation’s second-largest city, Pokhara. Aftershocks magnified the damage and complicated rescue efforts. Thousands of people are known to have died including reports of fatalities in India, Bangladesh, Tibet and on Mount Everest.

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The reports—including photos and video—coming out of the region defy description. The devastation and suffering are unimaginable.

What can a person say at such times, when words seem so inadequate? What should we pray when we don’t know what to pray? How can we possibly intercede for so many people, for such great need?

1)  Be Silent
When there are no words that can express what is in your heart, you can still pray the prayer of silence. Silence often speaks louder than words ever do. Offer the prayer of silence for the victims of tragedy, the horrific situation that confronts a loved one or the worst-case-scenario you face. Let your silence speak. Let God say to you, in the words of Psalm 46:10, “Be still, and know that I am God.”

2)  Groan
When disaster came crashing down upon Job, he said, “Sighing has become my daily food; my groans pour out like water” (Job 3:24, NIV). Sometimes the pain is so deep and the mind is so clouded that all the praying soul can summon is a groan.

At such times, however, we may recall that groaning is a prayer language of the Holy Spirit, according to Romans 8:26, which says, “The Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.”

3)  Cry
Once, when the psalmist David was feeling trampled on and put-upon, he wrote a prayer song to God that includes the words, “You have kept count of my tossings; put my tears in your bottle” (Psalm 56:8, ESV). He saw his tears as prayers for God to count and collect. So may we.

When you read the news or watch an online video, let yourself cry, but don’t think your tears are shed for no purpose. Let them be a prayer. Trust God to scoop them up and put them in his bottle.

4)  Lament
Almost a third of the Psalms in the Bible are (or include) prayers of lament—that is, complaints to God about the way things are. One of the reasons that praying the Psalms can be a helpful skill to cultivate is because it teaches us how to lament (see “How to Complain Prayerfully” for a whole post on the subject). Try it. Start with Psalm 10 or 80. Read it aloud slowly, several times. Substitute the cry of your heart for the psalmist’s cry.

5)  Pray a “Breath Prayer”
A “breath prayer” is a short sentence or phrase that can be repeated in one breath and often prayed repeatedly (see “10 Breath Prayers”).

Sometimes when a situation takes your breath away like a kick in the gut, all you can muster is a prayer like the cry of Peter who, when he felt himself start to sink in the stormy Sea of Galilee, called out, “Lord, save me!” (Matthew 14:30, ESV).

That was sufficient, however, because the important thing is not the length or eloquence of the prayer, but the sufficiency of the One on whom we call. Often, “Lord, have mercy,” or even, “God!” is the prayer the moment requires.

6)  Agree With Others’ Prayers
One reason (among many) I blog a daily prayer on www.oneprayeraday.com is that I hope others will pray with me. Thus, when I heard the news about the earthquake in Nepal, I wrote this prayer.

Often when we aren’t sure what to pray, a pastor or prayer partner can come alongside and say the very thing our hearts longed to pray. At other times, the written prayers in volumes like The Book of Common Prayer or John Baillie’s A Diary of Private Prayer can supply the words we lack.

Remember, too, that when you can find no words that express what is in your heart, “the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God” (Romans 8:27, ESV). You can trust the One who knows your heart to know your prayer, too. 

6 Short and Simple Prayers for Coping with Stress

Posted on by Bob Hostetler

Maybe your life is all sunshine and cotton candy. No shadows, no sadness, no stress.

Well, good for you. Feel free to move along, because the rest of us are dealing with stress—lots of it for some of us. And at times it feels like we’re about to buckle under.

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But that’s why I’m so happy that I can turn to God in prayer, even though at times, when I’m super stressed, the words don’t come easily. When that happens, I call on just a few go-to prayers. Short ones. One word. Two. The longest is only six words. Sometimes I pray just one, over and over. Other times, I pray several, in order, more or less. See if any of these prayers for coping with stress help you:

A 1-word prayer: Breathe
Sometimes when I’m stressed, I hold my breath. I don’t even know I’m doing it. But when I realize it, I remind myself and turn it into a prayer of sorts: “Breathe.” My wife’s watch even reminds her to breathe! It’s a helpful practice. Stop. Slow down. Breathe. 

A 2-word prayer: Hide me
David sang, “Keep me as the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings” (Psalm 17:8, NIV). Oh, I pray that often, and I frequently condense it and simplify it into just two words: “Hide me.” While the storm rages. Until the storm passes. Until the stress evaporates like summer rain on a hot sidewalk.

A 3-word prayer: Peace be still
When His closest friends were stressed and scared by a storm at sea, Jesus rebuked the storm, saying, “Peace, be still” (Mark 4:39, KJV). And the squall surrendered. It’s a great prayer at any time, for any soul in stress: “Peace. Be still.”

A 4-word prayer: I come to You
Jesus said, “Come to Me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you. Let Me teach you, because I am humble and gentle, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke fits perfectly, and the burden I give you is light” (Matthew 11:28-30, NLT). Remember these words in the midst of a stressful situation, and pray, “I come to You.” Let Him give rest to your soul.

A 5-word prayer: My help is in You
On one occasion, I was so stressed—panicked, even—that I spent a half hour on my face on the floor of my study, praying, “My help is in the name of the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth” (see Psalm 124:8). Over and over. Until my heart and mind began to agree with my lips and my voice. And calm and hope returned to my soul.

A 6-word prayer: I have calmed and quieted myself
One of the shortest psalms in the Bible, Psalm 131, is a lullaby. I love it and pray it often when I’m stressed—especially the second verse:

But I have calmed and quieted myself,
I am like a weaned child with its mother;
like a weaned child I am content (Psalm 131:2, NIV).

The picture is that of a child contentedly snuggling with its mother, not complaining or clamoring, but simply and completely content to be in its mother’s arms. Those six words—“I have calmed and quieted myself”—remind me that I am in the arms of a loving and protective God, a realization that relieves stress and revives my soul.

That’s it. Altogether, just 21 words. But they do often soothe me and save me from stress. I hope they do the same for you.

6 Comforting Bible Prayers to Combat Worry

Posted on by Rick Hamlin

Too often we confuse work with worry. We think we’ll never get anything done without worrying about it first. But remember, when it came to worry, Jesus told us to look at the “birds of the air.” They didn’t store up food—or go to the supermarket—and God fed them. 

When I look at the birds, I notice how they’re not frantically flapping their wings all the time. 

They catch the thermals and updrafts, seeming to float. If worries have you bogged down, catch an updraft of the Spirit. Try some of these Biblical prayers.

1)  When I am afraid, I put my trust in You. (Psalm 56:3) 

God made the birds so they can fly. They’re light with feathers perfectly engineered to make them airborne. Similarly, God made us with the ability to trust. Step away from your burdens for a moment. Close your eyes and trust. 

2)  Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.(Matthew 6:34) 

If you’re like me, you’re constantly checking to see what the weather is going to be like, not just for today but for the days ahead. Look at that big storm that might be coming! One more thing to fret over!

Jesus is reminding us to deal with—and enjoy—the weather we’ve got now. Look out the window. See what’s there. Yesterday is gone, tomorrow is unknown, today is God’s gift.

3) “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!” (Mark 9:24) 

The man brought his son to be healed by Jesus. “Everything is possible for one who believes,” Jesus said. That man believed. He needed help with the other part, the unbelief.

Me, too. When I get too overcome with worry, I use this man’s prayer. “Sure, I believe,” I say to God. “Just help those other parts of me that are struggling. Help my unbelief.”  

4)  When anxiety was great within me, Your consolation brought joy to my soul. (Psalm 94:19)

To make this prayer work, I have to slow down. The Lord is trying to console me. Sometimes I’m too busy listening to the negative voices within to hear God’s reassuring word. 

5)  Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. (Philippians 4:8) 

Here’s a way to pray this verse. Write down a person’s name or something someone’s done, a memory, a place, an image that comes to mind for each of those adjectives: noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable. Make a collage if you want or draw pictures. Let that be your prayer.  

6)  So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with My righteous right hand. (Isaiah 41:10)

Sometimes I tell myself, “I can’t get through all that I need to do today.” Then I remind myself I’m not alone. “Help,” I say. A one-word prayer. 

6 Bible Verses to Help You Pray Through Your Fears

Posted on by Rick Hamlin

As I recovered from heart surgery this summer, I was surprised by how fears—unwanted, uninvited fears—would haunt me. What if I had to go back to the hospital? What if I wouldn’t get back to my usual self? What if I’d never find peace of mind again?

It’s all very well to tell yourself, “Don’t be afraid,” but if you’ve suffered from trauma, little things can take you back. Even something as simple as going up a flight of stairs would remind me of the breathlessness I had felt before surgery. I had prayed then. I needed to pray now.

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1)  When I am afraid, I put my trust in you (Psalm 56:3). Fear is a natural enough emotion for us humans. I find I get into more trouble by pretending it’s not there than actually confronting it, as the Psalmist reminds me. Doing something about it, in prayer.

2)  There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear (1John 4:18). The antidote to fear isn’t some sort of brazen courage or plucky confidence, it’s love. Reminding yourself of God’s love and savoring it. Loving myself as God loves me. Love is here to cast out fear.

3)  The Lord is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me? (Psalm 118:6). The other day I was sitting with a group of friends from church, prayer partners. It suddenly occurred to me, “All these people prayed for me. They are part of the reason I’m here.” Accept that the Lord is on your side, and you will discover that you are never alone. The Spirit fosters community.

4)  For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” (Romans 8:15). I love how Paul acknowledges our very habit to fall back into fear. We thought we had moved away from it, but there it is, lurking in the shadows of our souls.

The solution? A very simple direct prayer, “Abba! Father!” Not some distant formal language but “Abba” which is like saying “Papa” or “Daddy,” our beloved Father, exclamation point!

5)  Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? And not one of them is forgotten before God…Fear not; you are of more value than many sparrows (Luke 12:6). It’s so easy to get trapped into thinking that God doesn’t really care about some mundane thing that has us in a snit fit. Think again, Jesus is saying. If God can remember those sparrows sold for two pennies, how can He forget what’s bothering us? 

6)  Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea (Psalm 46:2). Monstrous things might happen, disasters right and left. We can pray along with the Psalmist—note it’s “we,” all of us doing it. We will not fear because there’s a power bigger than us in charge. Just the One to look after our fears.