A Good Prayer When Worried

Worry is one of the emotions that a person is sure to experience at some point in his or her life. There are many factors as to why a person might become worried. There may be an impending danger to be worried about. A person may not know what tomorrow holds and worries about that. Such instances are typical of what we encounter in life, and that is why we worry at times. Worry can be a pretty heavy burden to bear all alone. The good news is that the Bible prescribes to us what we ought to do whenever we are burdened with worries.

Father in heaven, no matter how worried I am, it does not change the truth that You are still on Your throne and sovereign over my life’s storms. In that, I take comfort. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

What Should We Do When We Are Worried?

Fear, worry, and anxiety are not sins, but how we respond to them and what we do with them will determine whether they cause us to sin. When we try to handle our burdens or carry them on our own instead of coming to God, Who is our heavenly Father, for help, that is pride. It means we trust ourselves more than we trust God. So, when we try to bear everything on our own, it is as if we’re saying, “God, I don’t trust You with my worries, nor do I trust that You can handle them. Therefore, I shall handle them all alone.”

The Bible tells us to cast our anxieties to God when we are worried because He cares for us. In 1 Peter 5:6-7, the passage starts by saying that we are to humble ourselves before the mighty hand of God. Humility is the exact opposite of pride. This means that when we have worries, we must have a posture of humility before God. In the end, we are but creatures that are dependent on His self-sufficiency, for from Him, through Him, and to Him are all things (Romans 11:36 For from him and through him and for him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen.). How is being humble before God applied practically? The Bible says we do this by casting all our anxieties to Him. In fact, several different translations use words like “anxiety,” “cares,” and “worries.”

What do we do if we become worried or anxious? Why does Peter encourage us to cast our troubles to God? It is because He cares for us. If you are in Christ, God is your heavenly Father, for you have been adopted as His child (Ephesians 1:5-6). As a Heavenly Father, God doesn’t want you to carry or handle those worries alone but to cast them all to Him in prayer (Philippians 4:6-7). Casting our cares to God is a command. God loves and cares for us and does not want us to be crushed by the weight of the worries we try to bear on our own. If we believe that God is almighty and loves us, we will give our worries to Him (Psalm 55:22 Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken.).

How Should We Cast Our Worries and Anxieties to God?

We do this through prayer. Philippians 4:6-7 states that we are not to be anxious but to lift our prayer requests to God, where His peace, which transcends all understanding, shall guard our hearts and minds. What are the things that bring you great worry? Cast them all to God in prayer. Specifically, you can do this by being honest with God about what those worries are. For example, if you are worried about whether you will survive the demanding pressures of college life, lift that up to God and pour out your cares and anxieties about it to Him. As you pour this out to Him, entrust everything to the LORD and walk with peace for having charged God with those matters. That does not mean that you don’t do anything. You do what you must do, but in the end, you leave everything up to God. That is why Philippians 4:6-7 says His peace, which transcends all understanding, shall guard our hearts and minds.

Heavenly Father, I fear certain things that might happen despite how much I strive to prevent them. LORD, I cannot bear this burden all alone. You know my fears and worries. I entrust these all to You and trust in Your wisdom and providence to handle it. My capabilities are limited, but Yours are not. I won’t try to carry this myself, knowing that I can’t. So, I trust You. All things work together for the good of those who love you. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen

As we cast our worries to God, we also trust His infinite wisdom. We cannot always expect Him to handle our troubles the way we want Him to, but no matter what happens, our assurance is that all things work together for the good of those who love God (Romans 8:28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.).