How to Pray When Facing Anxiety

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And now, here's James. I am really excited about today's topic. It is how to pray when facing anxiety. And actually, James, as I was thinking about that, is there a time I'm not facing anxiety? I hope I'm coming, making progress on that, but I'm hoping your topic's going to help me. Well, you know, you think about everything that the world is going through right now. And this is just a topic that we need to lift up.

We, you know, we're all just heartsick about all those poor people in the Ukraine, and what is going on, and what should we do, and what can we not do? And, you know, then, of course, the problems here at home we've had with the coronavirus and inflation, rising gas prices. These are anxious times. And even before this, there were a lot of people who were struggling with anxiety. And so we need to talk about this.

How do we pray when that's going on, you know, how it's alive? And I'm going to start with a conversation I had with a college student the other night. We were talking about just not sleeping well. My daughter-in-law's sister had come over. We were having dessert.

And she said, you know, sometimes when I eat sugar after, oh, eight or nine o'clock or nine o'clock at night, I have bad dreams. And so we went on to say, what do you do? I mean, how do you handle that?

Because I've been there as well, like you were saying, when do I not have it? You know, I think of one of the main things that Jesus has done for me in my heart and life over time is to replace that anxiousness with peace. And I'm so thankful for it.

Yeah. And as you're saying that I can't help but remember, you know, in the 119th Psalm, there's a line that says, I remembered your name in the night, O Lord, this I had because, and I kept thy law. And I'm like, wow.

And I really worked on trying to remember when I started having a bad dream to remember his name. And at times I've been able to do it. It's really, it's helpful. It is helpful. And I think that's a great way to start to just pray the names of God, whatever comes to mind, comforter, counselor, Almighty God, to just pray those names.

That's a great place to go. Like I was saying, you know, anxiousness is part of our condition. You know, it's natural for us to have that. But what we're called to is that place where the Spirit of God is increasingly moving into those anxious moments and helping us be at peace. I mean, even Jesus faced anxiety. But what did he do when he faced anxiety?

Lord, you know, if you're willing, let this cup pass from me. He prayed in the garden, but not my will, but yours. He immediately went to the Father.

He immediately went to Him. And so another great way to pray when you face anxiety is the 23rd Psalm. And a lot of people have that memorized. But just the way it begins, the Lord is my Shepherd. And I love the translation that says I have everything I need.

Yeah, I'm with you. I love that and actually pray it every day. And I pray it in the third person. Lord, you are our Shepherd, because I'd like to pray it for other people, same time praying for me. Yeah, that's beautiful. When you think of the imagery, he makes me lie down in green pastures.

You leave, you decide quiet waters, and let's just break that down and take a moment with each one and imagine that you're doing just that. He restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness, for His name's sake.

In the right path, He'll show me where to go, what to do in this moment. And then the thing I love about the 23rd Psalm is that fourth verse. Of course, we've talked about this before, but it's that place where he says, even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil. And then this is the first place David addresses God in the second person. For you are with me.

This is where it turns personal, in the valley of the shadow of death. And, you know, just to pray through even the first four verses of the 23rd Psalm make an incredible difference. Yeah, and lately, since you told me about surely goodness and mercy will follow, the word follow, you pointed out, was that word pursue. And in the Hebrew, it actually is like they're dogging you, right? Yeah, dogging your steps. I love that. I've been thinking about it ever since you gave it to me as I pray that, that I feel goodness and mercy literally dogging my steps, which is what you need when you feel anxious.

Yeah, it's so important. I think of a time in my life, Robbie, when I was a little boy, I was caught in a cave briefly, I mean, just briefly, but it was long enough that I got nightmares about it later. And it was a matter where I had to squeeze through this narrow, you know, these two rocks, and I was a skinny little kid. Even so, you know, I got stuck, and it was a dark place, a scary place. You know, years later, I went through a time where I was just imagining when I go to bed, it was really an attack from the devil. There would be times where I'd feel that darkness closing in, if you will. And it got to the point where I had to say, Lord, here it is, you know what's going on, I know this isn't the way you want me to feel in this, so please take this from me.

And the more I gave it to him, the more he did. And just praying his word, thinking about what Peter says about him, cast your cares on him, because he cares for you. Or what Paul calls him, the God of all comfort. You know, we have to run to him, because Jesus really is our peace. And that's, you know, that's a profound peace. It's a supernatural peace that he gives, that we need so much. Yeah, James, could you lead us in a prayer like that right now? Because I sense we really are all feeling that way.

Absolutely. Jesus, you said, come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. And you are our rest, you are our peace. We thank you that we can come to you with anything that we are facing, and that you won't cast us away. So Lord, we rest in you right now. And we ask that you help us just stay close. We'll love you back, because you are so good.

And you love us so much. In your name we pray. Amen. Amen. You can hear more from Pastor James by visiting his website, jamesbanks.org, or by visiting Peace Church in Durham, North Carolina. May God bless you and encourage you as you pray. This is the Truth Network.