Life can feel overwhelming at times, and it is easy for anxiety to take hold. Between work responsibilities, marriage, parenting, health, and financial challenges, it can feel like you are drowning. Saying prayers for stress and anxiety is often the last thing on our minds when the pace of life starts to increase.
Anxiety is at an all-time high in our society, and we can easily let stress consume us. But there is a way to live free from the weight of that worry. God invites us to give our stress and anxiety to Him in prayer. He wants to give us peace that will overshadow any fear and calm any restless heart.
Why Should We Pray About Our Stress Every Day?
“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” —Philippians 4:6-7
We often try to shoulder our burdens ourselves and feel we should be able to fix our problems if we work harder and do better. Solving our worries on our own is a weight God never intended for us to carry. Instead, God invites us to give our burdens to Him. It doesn’t matter how big or small our concerns are, God wants us to talk to Him about everything on our mind. As our loving Heavenly Father, He deeply cares about all aspects of our lives and wants us to give it all to Him in prayer.
We also don’t need the perfect words to say when we go to God with our worries. He knows what’s on our minds and our hearts. In fact, Romans 8:26 says, “Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.” God simply wants us to come to Him and admit our need for Him.
Here are some prayers for stress and anxiety you can pray when you are overwhelmed:
- Ask God for His perspective on the situation.
We tend to inflate things in our minds and make small obstacles into enormous problems. Instead of letting our minds race, we can ask God to help us view our situation as He does. Keeping things in perspective is a huge relief, and it enables us to listen to God as He works.
- Pray for God’s peace and comfort.
“Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” —John 14:27
The more time we spend with God, the more His peace will come over us. As we recognize that anxious thoughts don’t come from Him but from the enemy, we can ask God to let His voice be the one we hear above all else. Only He can give us true peace of mind.
- Seek what God is teaching.
Aligning our will to God’s will provides an opportunity for His peace to come over us. Living obediently in God’s will is the best place we can be, but it doesn’t mean we won’t face difficulty. In fact, it often means life will be tough and stressful situations will arise, but we have assurance that He is strong enough to see us through.
- Surrender everything to God.
Acknowledging God’s authority over our lives and submitting to Him allows us to give up control of our worries. We simply breathe easier when we remove the burden of a situation from ourselves and place it on God.
How Does Talking to God Relieve Stress and Anxiety?
“Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” —Matthew 11:28-30
Having someone safe to discuss life situations with relieves stress and anxiety, and we can find comfort in praying to the God who made heaven and earth about our problems. After all, He knows exactly what we need, and He has a good plan, and loves us perfectly.
God’s nature is one of peace and comfort, not uncertainty and unrest. The more we get to know God, the more His peace and comfort flows into our lives. That kind of peace comes by praying about our situations as well as spending time reflecting on God’s nature and our love for Him. The more in tune we are with God’s character, the more peace we will have.
Spending time in prayer thanking God for all He has done in our lives reminds us of God’s past faithfulness and enables us to trust Him for today. Throughout the Bible, God called His people to remember His faithfulness whenever they were faced with overwhelming situations. As they recalled His faithfulness, He increased their faith in Him for their present and future challenges.
How Do We Give Our Anxieties to God?
“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” —Matthew 6:33-34
It’s one thing to tell God you trust Him after a difficult health diagnosis or challenging situation with a child, but it’s another to live that out. Anxious thoughts can quickly creep into our minds again, and we can find ourselves back in the same place.
Truly giving our worries to God requires prayers focused on:
- Recognizing God’s rightful place as Lord of everything.
Anxiety can begin when we have a wrong view of who God is and who we are. When we take charge and try to solve every problem, we will only end up feeling overwhelmed, scared, and defeated. On the other hand, when we recognize how big our God is and allow Him to be the problem-solver, a huge burden is lifted.
- Submitting to His will.
God’s will is not always what we would choose. A cancer diagnosis or losing a job is never something in our plans. When we recognize His ways are different from ours, we understand we will face challenging circumstances. But when those trials come our way, we get peace of mind from submitting to God’s will.
- Remembering God’s promises.
God has promised to be with us through our troubles, and we know He is victorious in the end. He loves us completely and is in tune with all our needs. There is nothing beyond His capability.
- Resting before Him.
“Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” —Psalm 46:10
God knows we need rest for both our bodies and our minds, and that’s why He commands us to rest. Jesus often took time away from the demands of ministry to spend time alone with the Father, and we also need to take time in prayer to allow our minds to rest in God’s presence.
What About When God Says “No” or “Wait?”
“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” –1 Timothy 1:7
We can pray for healing, but still find ourselves sick. We can pray for a new job that will finally allow us to get ahead financially, but the reality is that sometimes we still barely make ends meet.
How can we keep stress from dominating when it doesn’t seem God is listening to our prayers? It’s easy to feel peaceful when God answers our prayers with a “yes,” but anxiety can take over when He says “no” or “wait.” In those times, it’s okay to tell God how you are feeling. Being honest with Him allows you to express your pain, and God is more than strong enough to handle it. Ask God to help you process those emotions, guide your feelings, and see how He views your situation. Then truly be open to what He might tell you and shift your thinking as He guides you.
It’s also helpful to reflect on aspects of God’s character in prayer. After all, He is faithful, true, all-knowing, all-powerful, and good. Knowing those truths makes it easier to process His answers when He tells you “no” or “wait” answers to prayer.
Takeaway
We face daily challenges living in this sin-filled world, and it seems nearly everything we experience is enough to cause our stress and anxiety levels to rise. Yet God is a God of peace, and He wants us to experience the comfort and clarity that only comes from knowing Him. When we focus our prayers for stress and anxiety on submitting to His will and resting in His plan, His peace will dominate our lives even when our circumstances are anything but calming.
Do you feel tired, broken, or held captive by your thoughts? Re:generation is a 12-step life-change ministry that centers on Christ and guides you to freedom from emotional and spiritual strongholds. Join us on Monday nights to experience healing and freedom.