A Prayer When You Need God to Quiet Your Fears
By Betsy de Cruz
“For thus said the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel, ‘In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and in trust shall be your strength.’” – Isaiah 30:15
When my dentist said I needed a root canal, I’d love to say I trusted God and felt perfect peace. Instead, I started imagining how awful it would be. To make matters worse, each time I mentioned the words “root canal” to friends or family, they responded, “Oh, I’ve heard that’s terrible.”
I dreaded it for days, and every muscle in my body felt tense when I walked into the office because I could not envision how God would help me.
Friend, what are you worried about today? Maybe you dread the end of the month, when your money runs out. Perhaps you fear your next doctor visit, or you worry your child’s therapist won’t be able to help. Perhaps you need a reminder to rest in the God who gives you strength.
God knew exactly what I needed to meet my challenge, and He knows what you need too. That morning when I sat in the dentist chair trying to slow my breathing, I opened a prayer app on my phone and saw this:
“O God, you will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are fixed on you; for in returning and rest we shall be saved; in quietness and trust shall be our strength.” (Book of Common Prayer, Isaiah 26:3, 30:15)
The prayer based on two verses from Isaiah brought calm to my spirit. My mind had something to focus on rather than fear. Repeating the verses over and over reassured me of God’s presence and helped me through my ordeal.
When fears assault us, turning our attention to the Lord saves us. As we quiet our worried thoughts and verbalize our trust in God, He will strengthen us and give us rest. Let’s stay our minds on the Word of God rather than allow them to wander down rabbit trails of fear.
May I share what I else learned with you? My root canal procedure lasted 40 minutes; however, I spent a whole week dreading it. The week of dread was worse than the procedure itself.
And so it is with most things we worry about. Our anxious thoughts wreck more havoc on our souls than the actual challenge we face. Our fears make our problems seem bigger.
The next time you feel worried about something, how about turning your thoughts to God, the Everlasting Rock who never leaves you. Look to God’s Word for a promise that speaks to your situation. Then rehearse it in your mind and turn it into prayer each time that fear comes up. You can trust your Heavenly Father to work for your good in all things.
Let’s turn our thoughts to Him today and fix our minds on His promises.
Lord, I turn to you, my Heavenly Father and Everlasting Rock. Forgive me for allowing fear and worry to steal the peace you want to give me. I pray your Holy Spirit would reveal more of your loving kindness to me that I might trust you more. Fill my heart with your peace and help me find rest in your faithfulness.
Lord, make me vigilant to call on you immediately when anxious thoughts come to mind. I surrender to you now the specific fears I am facing. Point me to Scripture verses that speak to my situation. Help me recognize your voice calming my fears, whether you speak through a Bible passage, a conversation with a friend, or the radio.
Teach me to stay my mind on you and your faithfulness. Lord, I believe in returning and rest I will be saved; in quietness and trust, I will find strength. Strengthen me now Lord, quiet my fears with the remembrance of your lovingkindness.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen.
Betsy de Cruz helps overwhelmed women take small steps to invite more of God’s presence and power into their lives. Connect with Betsy to get your free Quiet Time Renewal Guide and other resources at FaithSpillingOver.com. Her book More of God is a distracted woman’s guide to more meaningful quiet times. After living in the Middle East for 16 years with her husband and two children, Betsy landed in Texas, where she still enjoys drinking chai with friends.
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