Pray Through Scripture: AnxietySample

Psalm 46

The Psalms are one of the best places to go in Scripture when we feel anxious. These ancients prayers and songs have a way of encapsulating our human experiences and laying these before the Lord. Today you will pray through Psalm 46.

The imagery here is dramatic. There is constant motion and turmoil throughout: crumbling earth, tumbling mountains, raging seas, warring nations, melting rocks. But there is one major stabilizing factor throughout: God is our refuge and strength. He is a “very present” help in the midst of our troubles.

Though it would require some persistence, there may be no better way to combat anxiety in a given moment than to memorize and then recite Psalm 46 to yourself. It doesn’t matter what life experiences bring anxiety to the surface of your consciousness, they can all fit under the imagery of storming seas and trembling ground. And in the midst, God is “very present.”

Even as the Psalmist stands observing all the unrest in the physical world and its human inhabitants, he gives us a simple command from the Lord: Be still. And as you are still, know that I am the Lord. When we are in motion along with the rest of the world, we are lost. But when we can stop and allow everything else to spin on without us, then we can acknowledge the truth of the matter: God is Lord. Therefore, I have a refuge. Therefore, I am safe. Loved. Cared for. 

Take the time now to pray through Psalm 46. Sit with God in the midst of the imagery. Converse with God regarding what this Psalm says about human beings in general, what it says about God himself, and what it says about your heart.