Turning Prayers Into Peace: Trading Anxiety for Heavenly Help

Worry got me again!

What is it about this human machine that has me so quickly turning to despair when I can’t do things in my own strength? (Sounds like pride… or maybe a lack of faith…) Whatever it is, I praise God for his kindness in redirecting my heart to the truth. The truth is that I was never meant to do this thing called life according to my own strength. Even more, he is actually glorified in my weakness. Because the good news? That’s when God comes through by His strength.

Minutes ago, I put my children down for a nap and I just felt spent and not even by anything “major”. My children were sick today, our laundry is in mounds (and I mean mounds), and I can’t for the life of me figure out how to use Adobe Illustrator. Feeling overwhelmed by some of the little things had me questioning my abilities in some of my bigger callings and commitments. I felt unequipped, incapable, and bummed out.

I knelt down on the ground (not out of holiness—I was hiding from my neighbors), and laid it all out for God. It was some real Psalmist-kind-of-stuff, some untidy pouring out. I wasn’t quite sure where it was going, but it felt good to process how I was really feeling. That might be a good place to start, but it’s not the best place to stay. Even in the most heart-wrenching of Psalms, you’ll often see a shift in thinking where the person writing goes from despair, to hope in God. (Psalm 42 is a great example of this.)

It reminds me of the type of shift we see in Philippians 4:6-7.

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7 NIV

What a gracious gift to the anxious heart… some nice and clear directions. Don’t be anxious… BUT in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. (My own emphasis added.)

What if, when our worries came, we turned them into requests? Thankful, petitioning, requests? Oftentimes we feel overwhelmed by our own circumstances because we are sensing that what is before us is beyond our own strength or abilities. That’s an okay place to be. It’s actually a wonderful place to be. God didn’t design us to do life solo. We were made for dependence on Him.

Check out the Message version of James 1:4-6.

If you don’t know what you’re doing, pray to the Father. He loves to help. You’ll get his help, and won’t be condescended to when you ask for it. Ask boldly, believingly, without a second thought. People who “worry their prayers” are like wind-whipped waves. Don’t think you’re going to get anything from the Master that way, adrift at sea, keeping all your options open. James 1:4-6 MSG

We have two choices: worry our prayers, or ask boldly, believingly, for help from God.

We were made to be needy before God. It reveals a heart of faith when we seek God’s help and bring him our heart—sharing what’s really going on in our thoughts and feelings. Making requests to God is a fruitful way to address what needs to be addressed in our hearts, while also laying our worries at His feet. Pretending anxiety isn’t there won’t make it go away, but bringing our true worries to the Father, and requesting his help once we come to Him—can bring deep peace. It builds our faith as we trust God’s kindness and goodness towards us. The ability to approach God is one of the greatest gifts Jesus died to give us.

Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. Hebrews 4:16 NIV

**Did this encourage you or help bring clarity to your heart and mind? Let me know in the comments! Or feel free to share with a friend who might be encouraged. :)