Who Is Struggling With Anxiety - Tonight We Pray for the Momma

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

ONE DAY IN EARLY DECEMBER, Mark and I had plans to attend a wedding at a big downtown church. A person my whole family loved would be married that day in a happy ceremony followed by a reception in the church’s great hall, which was decked out with beautiful decorations. Christmas poinsettias lined the stage, and flowers adorned the room. The guests would celebrate as if it were an early Christmas party with the added joy of a loved one’s wedding.

I woke up that morning so looking forward to the event. But in the back of my mind I wondered, Can I do this? Can I go into this big crowd of people and not panic? I wanted to go. I kept telling myself it would be all right and nothing bad would happen. I wouldn’t have tunnel vision or a racing heart. I wouldn’t feel the need to run out of the room or hide in the bathroom as I tried to catch my breath.

But at the last minute, just like so many other last minutes before, I came up with a reason not to attend. I was disappointed in myself because once again anxiety had kept me from doing something I really wanted to do. Like so many other times, too numerous to count, anxiety had put up a fence and hemmed me in.

Truthfully, I had suffered from anxiety since I was a child, and although I had developed coping strategies that allowed me to do many things, sometimes the big events were still just way too much.

As someone who struggles with anxiety, one passage in Philippians is particularly hard for me: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” I wanted to trust God, to believe His Word, and to live it out daily. Yet I felt like a failure because I was anxious and couldn’t seem to follow this instruction. But I wasn’t a failure, and neither are you.

What I didn’t know then was that, just like someone with a broken leg, hearing loss, or any other ailment, the anxiety I experienced was a condition that needed to be addressed through one of the many streams of healing that God uses for His glory.

Momma, the Lord knows every physical, emotional, and mental aspect of the anxiety you are dealing with tonight. He understands how your anxiety began—whether through genetics, a traumatic event, or another cause. He is right there walking beside you each step of the way on your healing journey.

Tonight we pray for the momma who is struggling with anxiety. Lord, she often feels overwhelmed, discouraged, afraid, or lonesome. She feels like she’s just surviving. This year has already been so hard on her mental health. She keeps reminding herself that she’s been through more difficult times, but she’s struggling. Tonight, Lord, she needs Your peace, Your hope, and Your joy. Come and sit next to her. Wrap her in Your arms. Please help her rest tonight.

We ask in Jesus’s name, amen.

Father God, when the world feels overwhelming, help me look to You for help with . . .