Battling Anxiety with Prayer

Battling Anxiety with Prayer

“Here, O LORD, when I cried aloud; be gracious to me and answer me!” Psalm 27:7

It was early morning when the crack of thunder woke us up. The sound of the rain, flashes of light, and that deep rumble, shook the window panes.I love thunderstorms. But, not Titus, he usually wakes up crying. My little Titus is a sweet soul, a middle child and a fierce fighter. His competitive nature, carefree wrestling, and contagious smile hides a deeper soul. If a thunderstorm finds us during the day, he runs and hides right away. Loud sounds have always bothered him. I’ve tried to explain how God created thunderstorms to help plants grow. He still doesn’t buy it. He hates storms.

One night, Jason and I were going on a date, but it was dark and raining. Titus ran up to me after the babysitter arrived. “Don’t go,” he begged, almost in tears. I was astonished at his fear. Isn’t the dark where we feel the most alone? When our hearts are hurting the most we see only darkness, don’t we? We know God is calling us to trust Him, that the storm can be good, but how can we trust, surrounded by darkness?

During our dark seasons we have a tendency to cover our ears and wait for the darkness to pass. We wish for the difficult season to just be over. We wonder what can grow in this mess of a storm? I’ve forgotten and maybe you too, but we don’t have to see in the dark because God does. We only need to cry out to him and He becomes our light.

We don’t have to see in the dark because God does. We only need to cry out to him and He becomes our light.

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Can you imagine David as a boy, out in the fields, doing the work of a shepherd? Maybe David spent entire nights alone among the sheep. Did he sense the presence of God in the stillness of the dark? When David became king, the darkness of the shepherd hill had vanished, but instead he faced the darkness of enemies. Throughout David’s entire reign as king he had many enemies. From the countries surrounding Israel to even enemies within his own household, David must have always felt the fear of attack.

Just like David, we have enemies. The enemies of cancer, death, grief, depression, anxiety, loneliness, and financial difficulties. Why do these things exist? Why did David even have enemies? One word: sin. We cannot keep these enemies from attacking, and they bring darkness to our hearts. When anxiety and fear was growing in my heart, I was on constant high-alert and never felt safe.

God says: I am the light. When battling anxiety with prayer, our hearts can be confident because God is our defender. We can be in the battle and be still, at the same time. We can have rest when we mediate on God’s beauty. David said: I will sit in Your sanctuary. Take a moment to read Psalm 27. List and all of the things God is and what He has done. When we write it down, we tend to plant seeds of faith into our heart. We water the seeds with truth. What truth do you find in Psalm 27?

Battle anxiety with prayer! Take the challenge here! When you pray, would you wonder if maybe peace could be a part of your life through the power of prayer? Join me as I dedicate ten minutes a day to pray over a verse, answer some reflection questions, and write out a prayer for peace. JUST FOR SEVEN DAYS! Prayer will become more than words on a page. Those prayers will find their way to the Father, who is always listening. You too can unlock the secret to peace through the power of God’s Word and prayer.