Day 13: Praying about Fears
As you begin to spend time with God, settle yourself somewhere quiet and comfortable. Take a few deep breaths. Spend a few moments gathering your thoughts, becoming aware of God’s presence with you and in you.
Journal for 5 minutes on yesterday’s experiment of praying Scripture. What did you notice and learn? What challenged you? Did God say anything to you throughout the day?
Then, begin today’s devotional.
Read: Isaiah 43:1, 2 Timothy 1:7, Philippians 4:6-7
When I was a little girl, I was scared of the dark. It didn’t matter that I shared my attic bedroom with my older sister, or that I was cozy under my Beauty and the Beast sheets. The moment all the lights went off, the shadow monsters started advancing towards me slowly but surely.
For some time, I dealt with my fears by going downstairs and jumping into my parents’ bed. Squeezed between them, I felt comforted and safe. Like all good parents, Dad and Mom wanted to offer me protection, but unsurprisingly, they also wanted me to sleep on my own!
My mom came up with a God-inspired way to help me face my fears. She taped a painting depicting Jesus to the wall beside my bed, right next to my pillow. Then, she had me memorize Psalm 56:3—“When I am afraid, I will trust in You”. She told me to look at the picture of Jesus and say this verse over and over whenever I felt scared. And it worked! Not without a few relapses, of course—but focusing on that image and speaking those words really did drive the shadow monsters away. Of course my trust wasn’t in the picture or the verse—it was in the presence of God, my Protector, that I sensed whenever I prayed that Scripture over my fears.
All these years later, I might not see shadow monsters anymore, but there are other things that stir up fear in me. I imagine that they are similar to the things that stir up fear in you, as well. Tragedies and uncertainties in the news. The thought of losing loved ones. Health scares. Financial concerns. Anxiety about peoples’ approval. Our own mortality. The unpredictable future.
When fears and unknowns overwhelm your heart, it’s a good time to remember that our enemy is “a liar and the father of lies” (John 8:44). There may be no truth to the things you are anxious about. Even if they are real, Jesus knows that “in this world, you will have trouble” (John 16:33). Yet, He directly follows this news with a blessed assurance—“take heart, I have overcome the world.”
Praying about your fears neither represses nor validates them. Instead, it gives you the opportunity to acknowledge them, then put your focus on Jesus and declare from your soul, “When I am afraid, I will trust in You.”
Prayer: God, whether they are real or imagined, my fears sometimes get the best of me. I find it hard to keep in mind that I am safe and secure in You. Thank you for being my place of refuge (Ps. 91:2). Please remind me today that You fight my battles, and that I couldn’t have a more powerful or caring Father than you. I declare today that when I feel afraid, I will purposefully place my trust in you, again. And again. And again. Amen.
Today’s Experiment: Whenever you feel anxiety or fear in your soul today, declare the words of Psalm 56:3—“When I am afraid, I will trust in You.” Add the thing you are afraid of and a corresponding character trait of God that address that fear. For example, “When I am afraid that I won’t have enough money, I will trust in You because You are my provider.”
Bonus: If you have trouble sleeping because of fear or anxiety, consider putting Psalm 56:3 on a notecard somewhere near your bed or on your phone so you are reminded to pray it often.
By Megan Netherton, Campus Ministries Assistant and Global Missions Coordinator