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Feeling stressed and overwhelmed by all that life has to offer today? Take a moment to to go to God in prayer to ask for relief from anxiety and stress. You can say this prayer in the morning, evening or throughout the day to bring peace and serenity.
Philippians 4:19 But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.
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Stress is weighing me down
As the tears of my burdens trickle down my cheek and impact the floor, Father please draw near. I am crying out in desperation. I need You right here, right now! Oh Lord, I am constantly on edge and I cannot think clearly.
The stress that weighs on my shoulders keeps me up at night. I toss and turn at the thought of the pressures of life.
1 Peter 5:7 Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.
This pain I feel, I cannot bear. It heavies my heart, it saddens my soul and it takes away all the joy I have left. I am physically, mentally and emotionally drained to the point where I feel as though I cannot go on.
Psalm 46:1 God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.
I need peace
Oh Lord, my God, grant me peace in my heart, eliminate the pain and relieve me of the stress I feel. Allow Your serenity and love to consume me.
Relax my mind, my body and my soul as I surrender myself to You. Revive the joy and energy I once had. Allow Your light to infiltrate through the darkness and grace me so I can smile again.
John 14:27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.
John 14:1 Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me.
Oh Lord, grant me peace in my heart, eliminate the pain and relieve me of the stress I feel. Click To Tweet
Give me strength
Father, equip me with the strength and courage I need to overcome these stressful situations in my life.
Thrust me forward into triumphant victory as the stresses of this world just swiftly fall away at the sound of Your great name! In Jesus mighty name I pray, Amen!
2 Thessalonians 3:16 Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in every way.
Lord, give me the strength and courage I need to overcome these stressful situations in my life. Click To Tweet
I’m a young Christian, from South Trinidad, seeking the wisdom of the Word and God’s blessings on my life. A journey, that’s just begun, but living to the Glory of God.
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- Prayers that I can be delivered from anxiety
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A Prayer for When You’re Stressed Out
By Emily Massey
I struggled with anxiety and panic attacks for many years in high school and college, even as a believer. Stress and worry were just a part of my life, and I allowed them to move into my mind and become my permanent mental roommates. From money problems to relationship issues, if it became too much, you would find me curled up in a ball in the fetal position on the floor, hyperventilating until parts of my body went numb and crying until there were no more tears left.
After I graduated college, I began to walk closer with the Lord and study His Word like I never had before in my life. My mind was being renewed and over time, I began to trust the Lord with every care and worry and cast them upon Him like 1 Peter 5:7 tells us to do.
Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. (1 Peter 5:7 NIV)
The other night when I experienced the panic attack, there was a brief moment where I was given the opportunity to resist the negative thoughts and take them captive and begin to talk to God like I had learned to do so many times before, but this time, I chose to let my mind run in circles. I was so familiar with the experience of a panic attack that I could literally feel it try to overtake me right before it happened. The dark cloud of what I believe was demonic oppression then blanketed my mind and then my whole body. If I would have remembered Philippians 4:6-7 or even 1 Peter 5:7, I would have realized that God offered me a solution to my anxious thoughts. A simple conversation with the Lord would have helped me centered my thoughts and would have brought immediate peace to the whirlwind in my mind.
If this describes your life at all, here is a prayer you can pray for when stress hits hard.
A Prayer for Stress
Lord, thank you that you want us to cast our cares on you. Thank you that there is nowhere I can go that you are not there with me. Thank you for having a hold of my life, even as I feel like everything is crumbling around me.
Lord, I confess that I have let stress take a hold of my life, rather than You. I have let stress control my mood, my attitudes and my actions. Lord, I repent of this! Please Father, help me see what is stressful in my life and hand it over to You. Help me not let the stress win out. Help me actively think on Your goodness to me.
I am so hopeful for my eternity with you, Lord, where there will be NO more stress! Help me look back on all the ways You have rescued me from my stressful moments, and look in hope to the future where You will one day rid all stress, forever.
Help me live boldly in the truth of Your goodness and power today. Thank You, Lord. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Editor’s Note: Content taken How Powerful Prayer Conquered My Panic Attacks by Emily Massey.
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I didn’t know that I was hiding. I’ve always been good at praying.
Or so I thought.
My daddy left when I was seven. I’ve always looked to God as my Father, my provider. I didn’t realize God wanted to be more than just my provider.
God longed to be my soul’s confidante. Deep where I felt lonely — where I struggled to receive and make space for me — God wanted me to rest as His beloved.
Because at the end of the day, even though I had accomplished a lot, I didn’t feel like I had fully lived. Because what I really wanted, I didn’t make space for: peace and joy. I did not nurture my soul with God.
I found it easier to take care of others and get things done for God, rather than be vulnerable with my needs.
But God showed me prayer is an intimate soul conversation to be loved and known, rather than a spiritual transaction to be made better.
Praying touches the part of me that is in process, uncertain, full of questions and doubts.
That is why praying is hard to do. And when I didn’t know how to pray, it made me feel ashamed.
Jesus understands and whispers –
Come to me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. (Matthew 11:28)
Although this is Scripture, in our Christian culture, our desert prayer times are often met with well-meaning encouragement like, “Relationship with God isn’t a feeling.”
Although partially true, this can de-humanize our connection with God. The psalmist reminds us there are no easy answers.
He Himself knows our frame; He is mindful that we are but dust. (Psalm 103:14)
Sometimes, it takes more faith to tell God we don’t know how to pray — rather than praying for faith to pray like we used to.
This is how I began to discover God’s “whispers of rest“ – powerful Scriptures affirming God’s love for me and learning about soul care: practical ways to feel God’s peace and presence!
I started learning how to love myself the way God loves me. I began researching ways to spark joy and take simple actions to prioritize my well-being, which I wrote about in Whispers of Rest, a book that has just released.
To my delight, I uncovered many soulful ways to pray even when I felt too stressed to know how. Here are five:
5 Ways To Pray When You’re Too Stressed To Know How
1. When you’re overwhelmed, whisper His name.
Remember receiving a first love note? It didn’t have to be long. Yet your heart felt known seeing your handwritten name. It kept you company in the daily grind. Whisper His name and listen for His echoes return in the quiet. God names the stars and He whispers your name.
“He heals the broken hearted . . . He counts the number of the stars; He gives names to all of them.” (Psalm 147:3-5)
2. When you don’t have words to pray, rest knowing Jesus is praying for you.
Your silence will not drive Jesus away. Nothing can separate you from His love. Not even your unrest. He’ll never get tired of you. Sometimes, the greatest prayer we can experience is God’s complete understanding and compassion. His presence.
“Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died . . . is also interceding for us.” (Romans 8:34)
3. When you are too stressed to pray, take care of you.
We are a generation who doesn’t know how to express our souls to God, even though we drive ourselves exhausted, doing for Jesus.
Chronic overloading is not a spiritual prerequisite for authentic Christianity. Quite the contrary, overloading is often what we do when we forget who God is. — Richard Swenson.
Extend yourself the kindness and comfort you generously give others. Ironically, the times we most need God’s comfort are the times we deprive ourselves of soul-nurturing time.
We feel selfish. Yet, God says, we can only comfort others, with the comfort we first receive ourselves. (See 2 Corinthians 1:3-4)
Instead of layering on guilt, let God love you through your choices to prioritize taking care of you.
4. When you feel numb and don’t want to pray, invite Jesus into your world.
Instead of struggling to reach Jesus, invite Jesus to enter your world. Research in a NY Times article shows the power of writing your personal story can lead to behavioral changes and improve happiness. Even 15 minutes of expressive writing makes a difference.
When we journal our stories with God, we give Him space to re-write our stories with us. Don’t you get ah-ha moments as you write?
“For the word of God is living and active . . . piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit . . .” (Hebrews 4:11–12)
“Word” is the Greek word logos, which translates as living voice. God is not limited to the written word. God uses everything living to speak into our lives. This includes journaling.
5. When you’re too exhausted to pray, stop and rest.
“Arise, eat, because the journey is too great for you.” (1 Kings 19:7)
Elijah had done everything he knew to do—even defeating the prophets of Baal. Yet, his problems did not go away. Stress broke Elijah’s spirit. In despair, Elijah woke up to find fresh bread baking on hot stones and water—left just for him.
Not only that. God sent an angel—to touch him—twice.
God knew Elijah needed physical rejuvenation first in order to hear His gentle voice, whispering in a gentle breeze.
So, when you find it’s hard to pray, don’t be afraid. You’re standing at the very cusp of who God longs to connect with. The real you.
Take the time to rest. You’re worth it! Just rest.
Pull up a chair: What helps you experience God’s peace and presence when you feel to stressed too pray?
By Bonnie Gray, author of the new 40-day devotional detox Whispers of Rest: 40 Days of God’s Love to Revlitalize Your Soul. She invites you to refresh your soul with God’s love at TheBonnieGray.com.
photo credit: Kelly Ishamel
www.incourage.me
Is stress holding you hostage and keeping you from rest? Do you feel burdens pressing in that seem too heavy to bear? When anxious thoughts pull you in the wrong direction, and you’re struggling to find balance, the following prayer might express your thoughts and help you find relief and freedom.
Before praying, consider these 4 steps for praying over anxiety, as suggested by well-known author and speaker Max Lucado:
- Pray immediately.
“Don’t stew over the problems that are besetting you or your neighbor. Ask God for help as soon as you identify a need.” - Pray specifically.
“When we boil our concerns down to a specific request, they become right-sized. Vague threats loom larger than concrete challenges.” - Pray for and with others.
“When we consider the problems of others and enlist their help with ours, our concerns become more manageable.” - Pray with thanksgiving.
“Anxiety and gratitude cannot occupy the same space. When we catalog what are thankful for, our list of challenges grows less powerful.”
A Prayer for Relief of Stress and Anxiety
Lord Jesus, the stresses in my life often reach a dangerous proportion—or so it seems. My body, mind, and spirit struggle to keep up physically, mentally, and yes, spiritually. Some days anxiety stalks me like a deceitful predator, and the temptation to worry draws me in. I know better, but some days the challenges outweigh the truths buried inside. My trust in You fades into the background, giving fear and concerns permission to discourage me.
In those moments of apprehension, help me remember that I belong to You, and that You are not the author of fear or anxiety, but the giver of love and a sound mind. Teach me Your ways to respond to problems by giving thanks in them. Your Word assures me that You are always there with me. You are the Blessed Controller of all things, and nothing escapes Your attention in my life. You have given me every tool and spiritual blessing to fight against those things that try to steal my peace. You’ve promised that when I’m stressed and burdens are trying to weigh me down, I can come to You. You will give me sweet rest!
Whether the anxiety stems from work, parenting, finances, physical issues, or even world conditions, You are there, Lord, to shoulder the weight. Teach me to recognize the stressful trials as tools for you to shape me and rearrange me. Through those difficult times, You will teach me patience, enlarge my faith, and help me see things I couldn’t see earlier—if I will only let You. When I’m clueless as to what to do, Lord, I want to turn to you first, not last.
Forgive me for trying to handle things on my own, Lord. The need to be in control sometimes gets a stronghold on my life. That only makes things worse. I want to trust You more and see things from Your perspective, not my own. No one makes me feel uptight, angry, or stressed, and no one forces me to react negatively. I choose to respond according to my beliefs. Do I believe You are in control? Do I believe You created all things and hold all things in Your Hand? Do I believe You are truly good? When an anxious thought creeps in, help me to stop and relax, to take that thought captive, and to turn apprehension into a calm prayer for deliverance. Revamp my belief system, Lord. Show me a new way to handle life according to Your Way.
No matter what issues I am dealing with; no matter how big the problems or situations, I’m laying them all at Your feet today. Turn these potentials for stress into lessons for growth and trust. When I can’t see any possible solutions, I choose to believe that You are working things out for my good—in Your own time, as you have in the past. Show me what to do, or what not to do. As I focus on You, remembering Your promises and Your words, I believe You will fill me with a peace that is beyond all understanding.
In Your precious name,
Amen
A Short Prayer for An Anxious Heart
Dear Lord, I thank you that I can come to You always for any reason. I’m grateful that when I pray to You, You answer me. Help me to come to You at the beginning of my fears and anxieties instead of waiting until I can’t stand them anymore. The quicker I come to You the better. You want to free me from ALL my fears. Help me look to You for help more often so that I can be radiant with Your joy. In Jesus’ Name I pray, Amen.
– Jennifer Heeren
Rebecca Barlow Jordan is an inspirational author, speaker, and passionate follower of Jesus who loves to encourage others heart to heart. She has written 11 books and over 1700 other articles, greeting cards, and other inspirational pieces. Her daily devotional Daily in Your Presence is available for delivery through Crosswalk.com. You can find out more about Rebecca at www.rebeccabarlowjordan.com.
Publication date: October 27, 2017
This article is part of our larger Prayers resource meant to inspire and encourage your prayer life when you face uncertain times. Visit our most popular prayers if you are wondering how to pray or what to pray. Remember, the Holy Spirit intercedes for us and God knows your heart even if you can’t find the words to pray.
Prayer for Healing
Prayer for StrengthPrayer for ProtectionMorning PrayersGood Night PrayersSerenity PrayerA Birthday PrayerSinner’s PrayerPrayer for ForgivenessPrayer for GuidanceIntercessory PrayerPrayer for PeacePrayer for Faith
Prayer for Love
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