Why You Need to Seek God’s Help When You Worry
I can’t even begin to tell you about the many nights I’ve spent with eyes wide open, worrying about everything.
Rather than bore you with the details, I hope to bless you a truth I wish I’d not only learned but that I’d applied years ago.
I was a chronic worrier which really isn’t surprising. Worry is the natural byproduct of fear and I’ve been pretty honest about my struggle with fear. So yes, I worried.
I worried about…
- Our Children
- Rev
- Illness/Injury
- Death
- Rejection
- Life
I worried about the things that happened yesterday … things that might happen tomorrow and everything in between. I worried about things I couldn’t change or control. Seriously, what’s the point of worrying if you can do something?
I was a worry addict and like many addicts, I had to hit bottom before I could accept that worried living—ain’t no way to live!
The Apostle Paul gave us great advice about worry – well, not about worrying but about not worrying.
Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He has done. Philippians 4:6
It sounds simple, doesn’t it?
Don’t worry … go to God, thank Him, and…
Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. Philippians 4:7
But I spent hours praying when I was worried and I still kept worrying.
Paul said, “Then you will experience God’s peace.” Why didn’t I experience God’s peace when I prayed?
Because my prayers were short on faith.
Even though I prayed,”Father, please help me.” I continued to worry because deep down, I believed lies like…
- My problem is too trivial for God to get involved.
- My fear is too real, my “what ifs” too great to let go of them.
- If my worry happened to someone else, it can certainly happen to me.
- What if God chooses to allow this in my life as a lesson or discipline.
- I can’t go on if __________.
And then…
Some of the things I’d worried about most often … happened.
All my worrying had not prevented my worries from becoming my reality.
I had to answer a very important question…
Was I going to trust God completely, not just with my eternal future but with my today and with every other day going forward?
I cried, “Lord, I believe. Help me overcome my unbelief,” and I went searching for promises to hold.
Two of my favorites were verses from Isaiah…
Have you never heard?
Have you never understood?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
the Creator of all the earth.
He never grows weak or weary.
No one can measure the depths of His understanding.
Isaiah 40:28
The depths of His understanding.
The New Century version says – No one can understand how great His wisdom is.
The Message says – He knows everything, inside and out.
The New Life Version says – His understanding is too great for us to begin to know.
He created us. He knows us inside and out. He understands us. He cares about even the tiniest details of our lives. Nothing is too trivial for Him to care and nothing is too big for Him to handle.
The enemy loves to tell us lies. But they are LIES!
The truth is … God loves you. He cares. And if He allows something; well, He has a promise for that, too.
Don’t be afraid, for I am with you.
Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you.
I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.
Isaiah 41:10
He will never leave us alone and He will strengthen us.
I was living through something I had worried about for a long time. Something I truly believed would break me forever … it didn’t. I was devastated. Yes, even broken at first, but God was with me. I felt His love and care as I began to feel His strength and help.
Why You Need to Seek God’s Help When You Worry
I’ve learned two important truths about seeking God’s help when I’m tempted to worry.
1. I can and should take any worry to God immediately.
As soon as I start to worry, I go to God. When “what ifs” start spinning around in my head I remember all God has helped me through in the past.
The enemy loves it when you and I worry because when we’re worried we’re not focused on God and all that He is able to do in our lives.
He loves to murmur, “God can’t. God won’t. God’s holding out on you. You’re on your own.”
It’s the spiritual battle we’re in and it’s real but you and I don’t have to fight it alone … ever!
The Holy Spirit is with us and within us willing and able to provide us with all we need to fight and win every spiritual battle, even our battle with worry.
The Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world. 1 John 4:4
God is greater. He has won the ultimate victory and will equip us to fight every battle.
So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. James 4:7
We can resist the devil. We don’t have to listen to his murmuring.
I’m trying to get better at that. Better at using the Sword of the Spirit/God’s Word to defeat the enemy’s lies and make him flee.
Which means I need to…
2. Keep growing closer to God through His Word.
Peter wrote:
May God give you more and more grace and peace as you grow in your knowledge of God and Jesus our Lord. 2 Peter 1:2
And Paul wrote:
Just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to follow Him. Let your roots grow down into Him, and let your lives be built on Him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness. Colossians 2:6–7
I need to be in the Word every day. It’s where my roots grow. It’s where lies are replaced with truth and it’s where I get what I need to resist the devil when he tempts us to worry.
I’ve also learned I can’t just not worry. I have to replace not worrying with something else.
What is that something else?
Hope!
Hope in Jesus!
Through Jesus, God met our greatest need. He conquered sin, death, and the power of the devil.
Sin can no longer defeat us. Death is not the end. And by His grace, the devil has no power over us.
We have Jesus and God’s promise…
So God has given both His promise and His oath. These two things are unchangeable because it is impossible for God to lie. Therefore, we who have fled to Him for refuge can have great confidence as we hold to the hope that lies before us. This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls. It leads us through the curtain into God’s inner sanctuary. Hebrews 6:18–19
Read that again … slowly!
God has given us His promise. His oath. When we run to Him for refuge He will shelter us. Our hope is secure because God is trustworthy and true and He will give us the everything we need to get through today … we have nothing to worry about. Absolutely nothing!
I’m guessing if you’re still reading this … you worry too!
I would love to tell you it’s like flipping a switch … one holy moment where I learned the truth and never worried again.
I can’t.
Please be patient with yourself. It takes time to break free of habitual worry.
But — imagine your life without worry. Imagine doing what you can and trusting God to help you with the rest.
Imagine running to God in prayer, holding onto His promises, trusting His love, and knowing without a doubt that God is always at work in your life for your good and for His glory.
You can do this.
Believe me, if God can deliver this worrier He can deliver you!
Leave your prayer requests…
and stop to pray one or two of the requests listed.
I LOVE hearing from you! Please take a minute to say ‘hi’ and share your thoughts in the comments below.
And if this article blessed or helped you today — would you share it with someone? Maybe a friend, family member, coworker, or through the links below…
As I read this post, Deb, it so reminded me of the days when I would worry way too much for my own good (my mother is still a constant worrywart). Thankfully, over the years, I have learned to turn first to prayer, trusting that God will take my worries from me and set me free. No, not always easy, but the Lord doesn’t want us to worry when He has everything in His hands.
Blessings!
It’s one of the blessings of walking with the Lord for a few decades, isn’t it, Martha? We know God’s faithfulness track record. He has not left us alone in the past as we’ve gone through pain and problems so we learn we can absolutely trust Him with our future. His grace is sufficient … always!!! Blessings!!
I can so relate…fear and worry have been intertwined in my life too. Praying with more faith and hope has helped me overcome many of my past worries. Sharing this excellent biblical advice on Pinterest and Twitter!
Sarah, thank you! God has gotten me through so many things. And even when the worst has happened, God has been faithful and helped me through. Knowing I can trust Him in the worst of circumstances has finally taught to surrender my worries to Him. Nothing is too great for Him to walk beside us giving us all the strength and courage we need. Wow, I can’t imagine going through life without Him! Blessings, sweet friend!
Excellent article. I too can worry excessively. Recent change in our family status has increased the worry quotient! Thank you for this reminder, to put it all in God’s powerful, capable hands.
Family, health, and finances … they seem to be our greatest worry material don’t they! I’m sorry you’re going through this difficult time. I’m asking God to fill you with His perfect peace, Jean. Thank you so much for stopping by and taking the time to say “hello.”
And imagine the peace we forfeit when we worry, instead of taking it all to God! Thanks for this reminder, Deb. Blessings to you.
Amen, April! I don’t want to forfeit His peace for another moment of any day! God bless you!
Prier que Dieu m’aide à l’obéir totalement sans faille,il est tout pour moi ,je connaissais des moments difficiles et très dure ,il ne faut pas que je le quitte
Thank you, Francois! I’m praying and asking God to give you His peace and strength as you go through this difficult time. Blessings!
Love this post! Chronic worry is definitely a struggle for me. It’s encouraging to know I am not the only one! Thank you for sharing your experience, sister. 🙂
Thank you, Kat! Oh, the years I wasted worrying. I know the battle well! I will be praying that God will give you His peace and help you know what to do when there is something to do and leave the rest in His capable hands. It’s so hard, isn’t it! What a gracious and patient God we serve. I am so thankful He never gave up on this chronic worrier because the peace on the other side is amazing! <3
Thank you so much for this article! I leave all worries and concerns to God and with His help and my strong Faith I no longer worry about everything. My daily prayers keep me going strong! God is good.?
Blessings,
Raquel
What a blessing to know we can take everything to God in prayer, trusting His perfect love to give us all we need one moment at a time. It took me way too long to live out this truth that many tried to teach me when I was chronically worried. How blessed to know and love a patient God, who never gives up on us when we are slow learners. Thank you so much for your kind encouragement. God bless you!
Thank you. This is something God is working on in me right now. I’ve learned my worries are fear based. I wish I knew who to credit this to, but It’s something I read in a devotional about fear and copied down.
Step 1: Identify a fear the second it pops into your mind. Ask yourself, Is this thought about something I know to be true right now, or am I trying to tell the future?
Step 2: Talk to yourself. State the fear out loud, write it down, do whatever you need to do to get your brain back into the present moment.
Step 3: Ask yourself, What do I know to be true right now? Sometimes our fears feel so real, we forget they haven’t happened. We need to remind ourselves of reality.
Step 4: Focus on blessings. List all the blessings, big and small, you have in your life at this moment.
Step 5: Name God’s truths. Say God’s promises over and over. Put up verses on your bathroom mirror and kitchen cabinets. There is power in God’s Word.”
Like you, I’ve realized that even if the worst does happen, my worrying changed nothing. Most of my worries though, are me trying to foretell a future God already holds.
I still struggle, but God is faithfully growing me stronger. Thanks for sharing this.
What a great list, Deni! Thank you so much for sharing it with us. I completely agree with your points and especially like your reminder that most of our worries are an attempt to foretell a future God already holds! Amen! God bless you! I am so thankful for His strength when I need it and His peace that conquers fear!
I am a disabled (my legs don’t work right) 55 year young woman. I lost my home due to circumstances that were beyond my measure. I didn’t know where to go or turn…I had a friend who is letting me stay at their farm for a while, not long term…well I’ve been here since June 2017 an my time is coming to an end ,living here …I am still waiting on housing to come through but they say it can take up to two years for affordable housing for a disabled person…I’m scared, I don’t want to end up in a shelter or sleeping in my car again…please pray that I have peace an trust in GOD, that HE will provide…I don’t know anyone else to help me, I feel lost…..GOD BE WITH ME..
I am very sorry, Sharonsue! It sounds like you are going through an extremely difficult time. I’m asking God to go before you and keep you safe, that He will meet every need and give you His peace. God blessings to you!