A Prayer to Stop Worrying
To stop worrying, pray a prayer of release. Name the thing you keep turning over in your mind, and deliberately hand it to God, trusting His care. The prayer below leans on Matthew 6:34, where Jesus invites us to live one day at a time, free from tomorrow's weight.
“Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”
A prayer
Father, I keep borrowing trouble from tomorrow. My thoughts run ahead to every possible outcome, and I wear myself out living in days that have not even come. You told me each day has enough of its own. I only need grace for today, and today's grace is already here. So I bring You the thing I keep turning over. I have examined it from every angle and it has not helped. I give it to You now, honestly and fully. When my mind reaches for it again, help me notice, and help me hand it back to You as many times as it takes. Teach me to trust that You will meet me tomorrow with everything tomorrow needs. For today, let me rest in Your care. In Jesus' name, amen.
Reflection
Worry is faith pointed in the wrong direction. It's the imagination rehearsing disaster. Jesus doesn't scold the worrier. He points to the birds and the flowers, cared for without a trace of anxiety, and asks us to consider how much more our Father knows what we need.
Trust is a discipline, and it works like one. You may have to hand the same worry to God a dozen times before lunch. That isn't failure. That's the practice doing its job.
Tomorrow will come with its own troubles and its own grace. You do not have to carry both today and tomorrow at once. You were only ever asked to live today.
Common questions
What does Jesus say about worrying?
In Matthew 6:25–34 Jesus tells us not to worry about our lives, pointing to how God cares for the birds and flowers, and urges us to seek God's kingdom first and live one day at a time.
How do I give my worries to God?
Name the worry specifically in prayer, tell God you are releasing it to His care, and each time your mind reaches for it again, consciously hand it back. 1 Peter 5:7 calls this "casting" your anxiety on Him.
Related prayers
Part of the Faith Over Fear theme.
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