When Prayers Turn into Anxiety

Have you ever noticed how quickly prayerful concerns can evolve into anxiety? Sometimes heavy burdens easily spiral into anxious thoughts and sleepless nights. Maybe you’re speaking God’s word over a wayward daughter, a sick friend or a long-held dream, and praying all the “right” prayers, but if you’re stressed, it might be time to check your trust level.

If you haven’t mixed trust into the spiritual equation, you’ll be grasping at straws as you look for signs that the situation is turning. Or worse yet, waver in doubt every time it seems like things have taken a downward turn. 

And now you’re not sleeping at night. 

You’d like to justify the insomnia by claiming that God kept you up to pray but to be honest, you’d have to admit that your sleepless nights are the result of worry. 

And worry breeds fear. 

Sometimes when we’re praying for someone close to us, it’s just as important to reassure and speak the word of God to our own souls as it is to pray it over their lives. 

Otherwise, fear can latch hold. You lose faith, you imagine the worst of scenarios, and you may even avoid the person you’re praying for because the pain of it has overwhelmed you. 

You can’t bear to see the muck and mire your loved one is sloshing through as they avoid the call of God on their lives. Your heart hurts too much to see a friend grapple with illness or impending death. You drop the dream you once held so closely in your heart because you can’t see your way through anymore. And so, you back off, close the door on that chapter of your life and move on.  

Trust. Can you hear the Holy Spirit whispering to your heart? Trust and believe.  

Believe beyond what your eyes can see. Believe beyond what the doctors say. It’s not over until it’s over. There really is such a thing as an 11th-hour miracle. You or your loved one may be a recipient. 

Your heart must lock in on the promises of God. A God who hears and answers prayer. A God who cares more deeply about the situation than you do. A God who is for you and not against you, and whose arms are not too short to save and deliver and heal. 

Trust. 

Bolster Your Faith with God’s Truth 

Remind your soul of the truths of who God is and what He promises to those who believe.

He is the God who hears and answers prayer. 

“I took my troubles to the Lord; I cried out to him, and he answered my prayer.” Psalm 120:1 NLT 

 He watches over His word to complete it in our lives.

“… I am watching to see that my word is fulfilled.” Jeremiah 1:12 NIV 

 His word will not return void but it will accomplish all that He has sent it out to do. 

“… so is my word that goes out from my mouth; it will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.” Isaiah 55:11 NIV 

Speak these truths. Say them to yourself and announce them to every principality and power in this earth that would try to breed fear and anxiety in your soul.  

Fight the good fight of faith – for yourself as much as for your loved one or close situation. Trust.  

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding.” Proverbs 3:5 NLT