Anxiety affects 40 million adults in the United States, ages 18 and older. Most likely you or someone you know has dealt with anxiety and may still be. Anxiety is defined as, “a feeling of worry, nervousness, or unease, typically about an imminent event or something with an uncertain outcome.”
There are different types of anxiety disorders, and getting help is extremely important. While receiving medical care, we can also pray as God understands our suffering and struggles.
A Prayer for Every Need. a free booklet by Dr. Norman Vincent Peale, offers prayers for every situation we face. The following four short prayers are for times of anxiousness:
1) Heavenly Father, I’m worried and full of fear. I have tried to reassure myself, but it doesn’t help. Touch me with your peace and help my disturbed mind know that, with you, I need fear no evil. Amen.
2) God, I feel lost and overwhelmed. The world seems out of control, full of evil. Life has become a nightmare. Please help me remember that you made this world and made it good. Give me the comfort of your presence and the confidence to trust you even when nothing seems to change.
3) God, sometimes flying makes me nervous. I know airplanes are safe, but still I worry. Give me your peace. I place myself confidently in your care, knowing that, just as you guide on the ground, your loving arms protect me in the air. Amen.
4) God, don’t let me get too frazzled. Keep me calm and focused on one thing at a time.
As you pray, remember Isaiah 26:3, “You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you!”
Lord, help us to fix our thoughts on You and fill our hearts with peace.
