One-Minute Prayers to Unwind a Worried MindSample

The Spiritual Practice of Surrendering Worry

When an irritating grain of sand dwells within an oyster for a while, the oyster responds by coating the intruder and protecting itself from harm. In time, that gritty annoyance becomes a beautiful, treasured pearl. The oyster does this instinctively.

We have an opportunity to do the same. We can respond to the irritant of worry by covering it in prayer and asking God to protect our hearts, minds, and spirits. The result? God’s peace blesses us with the pearl of wisdom.

This way of responding to worry is a spiritual practice that will change your life. Most of us don’t do this early in our journey of belief. It takes life experiences. Falling, getting up in forgiveness. Worrying all night, then in the light of day and truth, wondering why you anguished so. Those lessons allow you to grasp God’s faithfulness. Covering your concern with prayer and asking for the hope of Christ starts as a happy experiment and becomes a healthy practice.

With awe, we realize that it is possible to pray without ceasing by offering up concerns, questions, doubts, fears (and praises…don't forget those) as they appear. In this way we keep our prayer line, our lifeline to God, open. God satisfies our needs, speaks to our broken hearts, calms sensitive souls, whispers assurances to an anxious mind, and fills us with his peace-loving wisdom.

Take your thoughts captive (2 Corinthians 10:5) and surrender them to God out of obedience and faith. Deeper encouragement comes when you also relinquish words and phrases that have anchored you to fear. Exchange them for words that emphasize the nature of God’s character: loving, enduring, ever-present, faithful, eternal, unconditional, unchanging, gracious, merciful. Rest in those.

Regularly immerse your mind in the help and comfort of Scripture so eternal truth enters your thoughts before temporal tangents begin. God’s promises and presence will release you from the restraints of fear-thinking and His peace will guard your heart and mind so that you might live, breathe, believe, trust, serve, pray, and think with a faith that produces the beautiful treasures of hope and wisdom.

Reflection:

Commit to ongoing prayer as a spiritual practice. See how your thoughts change in the next few days as you freely give your concerns to God’s care and seek His guidance, wisdom, and peace to move forward.

Prayer:

God, I am thankful to be able to lift up each concern to you. In your wisdom, Lord, I have learned to release worry and hold onto wonder, to turn from fear and walk in faith. Thank you for this way of peace through life.

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If you found encouragement in this reading plan, you can find more prayers in One-Minute Prayers to Unwind a Worried Mind from Harvest House Publishers, here.