 but to trust our troubles to God in prayer. It also says that when we do that, God will guard our hearts and minds from the attacks of the enemy. That's why we say prayers for anxiety.){kind=link}
Click to Tweet: Why doesn’t God cure our anxiety? Read more on this epic post about anxiety!
I don’t know if God will cure your anxiety. He may choose to bless your socks off financially instead. Maybe He’ll choose to give you a good, caring husband. He may decide to bless you with wonderful children who shower you daily in love. A miracle is a gift, not a “Plan A” (Plan A is to be joyful no matter what God gives you or what God takes away).
For me personally, God has given me total freedom from years of anxiety but that doesn’t mean I don’t still get attacked. Even though I know how to fend off attacks, do I sometimes fail? Absolutely. *Author’s Note: Since writing this article I did get a panic attack and had to deal with some situational anxiety over a family issue. I applied the same techniques, so I can assure you this advice DOES work!
“So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” -John 8:36 (ESV)
Does God ever fail me in my moments of pain? No. Never.
“For the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” -2 Corinthians 3:17 (NLT)
In church the other day my Pastor said something profound- he said, “We need to be convicted of the word of God. You can be told something over and over again but if you don’t believe it, it’s not going to work for you. But when you believe in something, you dig your heels in and there isn’t anybody whose going to be able to convince you that you’re wrong.”
When struggling with anxiety, that’s how we need to feel about the promises God made to us in His Word. He promises freedom for the oppressed. Not miraculous healing for all. Freedom.
The definition of freedom is:
“The power to act, speak or think as one wants without hinderance or restraint, the state of not being imprisoned or enslaved” [Source].
Anxiety doesn’t have to be a prison.
The Holy Spirit can release you from the prison of your anxiety through your prayers for anxiety. It doesn’t mean that you won’t ever feel anxious or that you’ll have a total, miraculous healing but that you’ll be free to think and act without being under the control or within the limits of the enemy.
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the oppressed will be set free.”
Practical Prayers for Anxiety That Bring Peace
Here are 5 prayers for anxiety that you can apply to your life today.
1. Prayers for anxiety happen one day at a time. We often get ahead of ourselves, worrying about things that haven’t happened (yet?) but worrying about tomorrow is useless. When we struggle with anxiety, we need to pray everyday for that day only.
“Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble..”
2. Prayers for anxiety can an increase your trust. Anxiety comes from a place of fear and fear is a trap from the enemy. If he can keep us fearful, we won’t move forward in God’s plan for our lives. Trusting in God replaces fear and opens any trap the enemy laid for us.
“Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe.” -Proverbs 29:25
3. Prayers for anxiety can bring you strength. Following God and trusting Him always takes a measure of courage so when we’re feeling anxious, praying for strength will give us courage to push past the trap of fear. Overcoming fear will lesson anxiety and give us strength for the next time.
“Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”
4. Prayers for anxiety may bring us gifts of kindness. God often gives us little gifts along our way, most of which we don’t notice, to encourage us. One of these gifts would be kind words. Maybe there’s someone in your life whose always giving you a supportive word or maybe the stranger in the coffee shop paid for your coffee- those acts of kindness are gifts to you from God. In our tough times, we can pray for encouragement and support in the form of kindness. Whenever it happens, remember that it’s God’s way of saying, “Hey, I just want you to know that I love you and I’m here”.
”Anxiety weighs down the heart, but a kind word cheers it up.” -Proverbs 12:25 (NIV)
5. Prayers for anxiety can bring intimacy with the Holy Spirit. I can’t tell you enough how important the Holy Spirit is for our well-being. On our own, our carnal minds are lost in a rat race, bombarded with selfishness and anxiety woven into our sinful nature. Intimacy with the Holy Spirit is the only way to have true freedom from our destructive thought patterns. Yes, therapy can teach us how to change our thinking and medication can help clear our minds to do so (both great things) but for freedom (remember- freedom means being released from the prison of anxiety) we need the Holy Spirit to teach us how to think with the mind of Christ.
“But the Helper (Comforter, Advocate, Intercessor—Counselor, Strengthener, Standby), the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name [in My place, to represent Me and act on My behalf], He will teach you all things. And He will help you remember everything that I have told you.”
This article originally appeared here.