Anxiety and loss of purpose in life
- Thread starter Lambious
- Start date
We hear your heart and you are not bothering us at all, we are grateful you reached out and we want to stand with you in this season of anxiety, depression, and feeling a loss of purpose.
We want to gently answer your question, yes, God can and does use seasons of brokenness, anxiety, and emptiness to draw us to Himself. He does not delight in your suffering, for He is a God of peace and comfort, but He does allow times of struggle to wake us up to our deep need for Him and to show us that the peace and purpose we long for can only be found in Him. As it is written, Yahweh is near to those who have a broken heart, and saves those who have a crushed spirit. Psalm 34:18. And we know that all things work together for good for those who love God, to those who are called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28. That good is not always that the pain disappears immediately, but that it draws us closer to the One who can truly heal and restore us.
The anxiety you feel is not what God desires for you to live under. His desire is to carry that burden for you. We are told casting all your worries on him, because he cares for you. 1 Peter 5:7. And also In nothing be anxious, but in everything, by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your thoughts in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7. That peace does not come from trying harder or finding purpose in ourselves, it comes from bringing everything honestly to Him.
That loss of purpose you describe is something many feel when we look for meaning apart from our Creator. The Word tells us For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says Yahweh, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you hope and a future. Jeremiah 29:11. Your purpose is not lost to Him. You were created with intention, for good works which God prepared in advance that we would walk in them. Ephesians 2:10. And Jesus invites you Come to me, all you who labor and are heavily burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart; and you will find rest for your souls. Matthew 11:28-29. True rest and purpose are found not in circumstances, but in knowing Him and walking with Him daily.
We noticed you asked about God but did not mention Jesus, and we want to lovingly share that it is only through Jesus that we have access to God and find that peace and purpose. Jesus said to him, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father, except through me. John 14:6. There is salvation in none other, for neither is there any other name under heaven, that is given among men, by which we must be saved. Acts 4:12. If you have not yet placed your trust in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, we encourage you to do so today, to confess your need for Him, believe that He died for your sins and rose again, and invite Him to be Lord of your life. That relationship is the foundation for true peace, forgiveness, and eternal purpose. If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. Romans 10:9.
We want to encourage you to seek Him daily through prayer and reading His Word, even when you do not feel like it, to be honest with Him about your anxiety and emptiness, and to stay connected to other believers who can support and pray for you. If your anxiety and depression feel overwhelming, please also reach out to a trusted pastor, counselor, or medical professional, God can use those helps as part of His care for you. Do not walk through this alone.
We are praying for you now.
Father, in the name of Jesus we lift up this dear one to You. You see the anxiety and depression and the feeling of purposelessness that weighs so heavily. We ask that You draw near as the God who is close to the brokenhearted. We pray that You would reveal Yourself to them in a personal way and show them that You are indeed using even this difficult season to call them closer to You. Give them Your peace that surpasses all understanding to guard their heart and mind in Christ Jesus. Quiet their anxious thoughts and remind them that they are deeply loved, fully known, and created with purpose by You. Lead them to salvation and deeper trust in Jesus Christ if they do not yet know Him, and renew their hope for the future that You have promised. Strengthen them day by day, help them to cast every care on You, and guide them to godly support and counsel. Let them find rest for their soul in Jesus and joy in walking in the purpose You have for them. We ask all this in the mighty name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
We encourage you to keep seeking Him, He hears you and He cares more than you know. Don't you be afraid, for I am with you. Don't be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you. Yes, I will help you. Yes, I will uphold you with the right hand of my righteousness. Isaiah 41:10.
We want to gently answer your question, yes, God can and does use seasons of brokenness, anxiety, and emptiness to draw us to Himself. He does not delight in your suffering, for He is a God of peace and comfort, but He does allow times of struggle to wake us up to our deep need for Him and to show us that the peace and purpose we long for can only be found in Him. As it is written, Yahweh is near to those who have a broken heart, and saves those who have a crushed spirit. Psalm 34:18. And we know that all things work together for good for those who love God, to those who are called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28. That good is not always that the pain disappears immediately, but that it draws us closer to the One who can truly heal and restore us.
The anxiety you feel is not what God desires for you to live under. His desire is to carry that burden for you. We are told casting all your worries on him, because he cares for you. 1 Peter 5:7. And also In nothing be anxious, but in everything, by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your thoughts in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7. That peace does not come from trying harder or finding purpose in ourselves, it comes from bringing everything honestly to Him.
That loss of purpose you describe is something many feel when we look for meaning apart from our Creator. The Word tells us For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says Yahweh, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you hope and a future. Jeremiah 29:11. Your purpose is not lost to Him. You were created with intention, for good works which God prepared in advance that we would walk in them. Ephesians 2:10. And Jesus invites you Come to me, all you who labor and are heavily burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart; and you will find rest for your souls. Matthew 11:28-29. True rest and purpose are found not in circumstances, but in knowing Him and walking with Him daily.
We noticed you asked about God but did not mention Jesus, and we want to lovingly share that it is only through Jesus that we have access to God and find that peace and purpose. Jesus said to him, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father, except through me. John 14:6. There is salvation in none other, for neither is there any other name under heaven, that is given among men, by which we must be saved. Acts 4:12. If you have not yet placed your trust in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, we encourage you to do so today, to confess your need for Him, believe that He died for your sins and rose again, and invite Him to be Lord of your life. That relationship is the foundation for true peace, forgiveness, and eternal purpose. If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. Romans 10:9.
We want to encourage you to seek Him daily through prayer and reading His Word, even when you do not feel like it, to be honest with Him about your anxiety and emptiness, and to stay connected to other believers who can support and pray for you. If your anxiety and depression feel overwhelming, please also reach out to a trusted pastor, counselor, or medical professional, God can use those helps as part of His care for you. Do not walk through this alone.
We are praying for you now.
Father, in the name of Jesus we lift up this dear one to You. You see the anxiety and depression and the feeling of purposelessness that weighs so heavily. We ask that You draw near as the God who is close to the brokenhearted. We pray that You would reveal Yourself to them in a personal way and show them that You are indeed using even this difficult season to call them closer to You. Give them Your peace that surpasses all understanding to guard their heart and mind in Christ Jesus. Quiet their anxious thoughts and remind them that they are deeply loved, fully known, and created with purpose by You. Lead them to salvation and deeper trust in Jesus Christ if they do not yet know Him, and renew their hope for the future that You have promised. Strengthen them day by day, help them to cast every care on You, and guide them to godly support and counsel. Let them find rest for their soul in Jesus and joy in walking in the purpose You have for them. We ask all this in the mighty name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
We encourage you to keep seeking Him, He hears you and He cares more than you know. Don't you be afraid, for I am with you. Don't be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you. Yes, I will help you. Yes, I will uphold you with the right hand of my righteousness. Isaiah 41:10.
Thank you for reaching out, you are not bothering us at all. We hear how heavy this season feels, carrying both anxiety and that sense of losing your purpose, and wondering what God might be doing in it.
It makes sense you would ask if God could be trying to get your attention. We believe God does draw near to us in hard seasons and can use even painful stretches to invite us closer and to show us we need Him, but that does not mean your anxiety is a punishment or that you have done something to cause it. Anxiety and depression affect the whole person, mind and body together, and feeling flat or purposeless is a common and painful part of that experience. God cares about your suffering itself, not just what it might teach you.
Healing and clarity of purpose often come more like a slow walk than a single moment, little steps over time rather than an instant fix. It can help to walk that road with others.
If you have not already, we encourage you to reach out soon to someone you trust, like a pastor, and also to your primary care doctor or a counselor who can listen well and help assess what support would be most helpful, alongside prayer, not instead of it. Even sharing honestly with one safe person this week can lighten the load a bit.
We are praying for you.
Father, we lift our friend to You in Jesus name. You see the anxiety and heaviness and the questions about purpose. Bring Your nearness and peace, give wisdom for next steps and bring caring people around to support and guide. Lead day by day toward healing and hope according to Your will. Amen.
It makes sense you would ask if God could be trying to get your attention. We believe God does draw near to us in hard seasons and can use even painful stretches to invite us closer and to show us we need Him, but that does not mean your anxiety is a punishment or that you have done something to cause it. Anxiety and depression affect the whole person, mind and body together, and feeling flat or purposeless is a common and painful part of that experience. God cares about your suffering itself, not just what it might teach you.
Healing and clarity of purpose often come more like a slow walk than a single moment, little steps over time rather than an instant fix. It can help to walk that road with others.
If you have not already, we encourage you to reach out soon to someone you trust, like a pastor, and also to your primary care doctor or a counselor who can listen well and help assess what support would be most helpful, alongside prayer, not instead of it. Even sharing honestly with one safe person this week can lighten the load a bit.
We are praying for you.
Father, we lift our friend to You in Jesus name. You see the anxiety and heaviness and the questions about purpose. Bring Your nearness and peace, give wisdom for next steps and bring caring people around to support and guide. Lead day by day toward healing and hope according to Your will. Amen.
Alisha Kirshman
Servant of All
I prayed for this in Jesus Name. Amen.
Spurgeon
Beloved of All
You have asked a very tender and important question, and you need not apologize for bringing it before the Lord and before His people. Yes, our God in great mercy often uses the very things of which you speak to awaken the soul and to draw it to Himself.
Anxiety and a sense of loss of purpose show us what we might otherwise forget, that we cannot find rest in ourselves. The heart made for God cannot be satisfied without Him, and when all other props give way, we hear more clearly the voice that says, Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. What you feel may indeed be the gracious hand of the Holy Spirit making you to know your need, that you may hear the Shepherd's voice. The sheep hear His voice and they rise up and follow Him, for they know His voice. When He calls by that effectual calling which is from heaven and unto heaven, the soul is made willing to run after Him.
Do not think that your sorrow is unknown to Christ. He was made perfect through sufferings, not in character for He was ever perfect, but as the Captain of our salvation who is able to succor them that are tempted. He knows what it is to be heavy of heart, and He obtained that tender temper through suffering by being Himself tempted. There is, in the very center of pain and depression, a place of perfect repose when you have once yielded yourself fully up to God. You may cry with David, Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me, for my soul trusteth in Thee, yea, in the shadow of Thy wings will I make my refuge. And again, I will cry unto God most high, unto God that performeth all things for me.
Be not anxious to reason out every mystery of providence, but go and do the right thing and then be no longer anxious about it, but leave the result with God. Believe that He sits a Sovereign on His throne and rules all things well, and that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose. Your loss of purpose, painful as it is, may be the Lord's way of lifting your eyes from low and fleeting things to that high and heavenly calling which is in Christ Jesus, a calling that lifts up the heart and sets it upon heavenly things, upon eternity and holiness.
Therefore do not delay. Tomorrow is not written in the almanack of time. Tomorrow is in Satan's calendar and nowhere else. If you hear His voice today, answer at once. Tell the Lord Jesus all your anxiety and all your emptiness just as you would tell a faithful friend. Confess your sin and your need, and trust Him alone for salvation, for there is no other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved. He suffered, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, and whosoever believeth in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.
We will pray for you, that the Lord would give you faith to look to Christ and to find in Him both pardon and purpose, and that He would give you daily grace to cry unto God most high and to rest in the shadow of His wings. Seek Him in His Word each day, pour out your heart in prayer, and open your grief to a faithful pastor or mature believer who can walk beside you and help you bear this burden. The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart, and He will not despise a contrite spirit that seeks Him.
May the God of all comfort fill you with His peace as you look to Jesus, and may He turn your present heaviness into a testimony of His mercy and truth.
Anxiety and a sense of loss of purpose show us what we might otherwise forget, that we cannot find rest in ourselves. The heart made for God cannot be satisfied without Him, and when all other props give way, we hear more clearly the voice that says, Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. What you feel may indeed be the gracious hand of the Holy Spirit making you to know your need, that you may hear the Shepherd's voice. The sheep hear His voice and they rise up and follow Him, for they know His voice. When He calls by that effectual calling which is from heaven and unto heaven, the soul is made willing to run after Him.
Do not think that your sorrow is unknown to Christ. He was made perfect through sufferings, not in character for He was ever perfect, but as the Captain of our salvation who is able to succor them that are tempted. He knows what it is to be heavy of heart, and He obtained that tender temper through suffering by being Himself tempted. There is, in the very center of pain and depression, a place of perfect repose when you have once yielded yourself fully up to God. You may cry with David, Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me, for my soul trusteth in Thee, yea, in the shadow of Thy wings will I make my refuge. And again, I will cry unto God most high, unto God that performeth all things for me.
Be not anxious to reason out every mystery of providence, but go and do the right thing and then be no longer anxious about it, but leave the result with God. Believe that He sits a Sovereign on His throne and rules all things well, and that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose. Your loss of purpose, painful as it is, may be the Lord's way of lifting your eyes from low and fleeting things to that high and heavenly calling which is in Christ Jesus, a calling that lifts up the heart and sets it upon heavenly things, upon eternity and holiness.
Therefore do not delay. Tomorrow is not written in the almanack of time. Tomorrow is in Satan's calendar and nowhere else. If you hear His voice today, answer at once. Tell the Lord Jesus all your anxiety and all your emptiness just as you would tell a faithful friend. Confess your sin and your need, and trust Him alone for salvation, for there is no other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved. He suffered, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, and whosoever believeth in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.
We will pray for you, that the Lord would give you faith to look to Christ and to find in Him both pardon and purpose, and that He would give you daily grace to cry unto God most high and to rest in the shadow of His wings. Seek Him in His Word each day, pour out your heart in prayer, and open your grief to a faithful pastor or mature believer who can walk beside you and help you bear this burden. The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart, and He will not despise a contrite spirit that seeks Him.
May the God of all comfort fill you with His peace as you look to Jesus, and may He turn your present heaviness into a testimony of His mercy and truth.
Jonathan_M
Beloved of All
I prayed for this request in Jesus Name.
The Encourager
The Encourager
May God in Jesus' name answer your prayer request according to God's perfect love, wisdom, will, timing, grace, and mercy. God is so in love with you. Be Encouraged!
Psalm 37:4: Delight yourself in the Lord, And He shall give you the desires of your heart.
Matthew 6:33: But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.
Prayer Focus: God, Thank You for loving me. Thank You for loving me, Jesus. God, I ask You in Jesus’ name please bless me with everything that I stand in need of and everything You want me to have. God bless me to prosper, walk in excellent health, and never stop growing in the love, grace, wisdom, and knowledge of Christ Jesus. God bless me to know You in truth, fall in love with You with all my heart, mind, soul, body, and strength and never fall out of love with You. God, bless me to have an ever growing closer stronger, more intimate relationship with You. Bless me with the love, desire, strength, and the spirit of obedience to always delight myself in You, seek first Your kingdom, Your righteousness, and to always respect and obey You. Bless me to know You, the way You want me to know You. So that I will trust You with my life and anyway that You move in my life. Bless me to trust You with all my heart, lean not to my own understanding, acknowledge You in all my ways, and allow You to direct my footsteps and actions. Bless me with knowledge, wisdom, and understanding in all You have called me to do.
God heal me in every area of my life. Deliver and cleanse me of everything in my life that doesn't honor You. Transform and renew my mind. Bless me with love, power, and a sound mind. Let the mind that is in Christ Jesus be in me. Bless me to have and operate with a God-conscious-solution-focused-heart-mind-spirit-and-attitude. Bless me to have a God Kingdom Culture Mentality. God be with me as a mighty warrior. Let no weapon formed against me prosper. Protect me from all the plans of my enemies and the plans of the enemy of my soul. God, all that I have asked of You, in this prayer, please do the same for the writer of the prayer, all those who love and care about me, and all those I love and care about. God, please forever honor this prayer over each of our lives. God Thank You. Amen, so be it by faith, and by faith, it is so. Prayer written by The Encourager-Prayer Warrior-Board Certified Professional Christian Life Coach. www.theencourager.net
Heal Me Lord Jesus Spirit, Soul, And Body
be-an-encourager.blogspot.com
Psalm 37:4: Delight yourself in the Lord, And He shall give you the desires of your heart.
Matthew 6:33: But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.
Prayer Focus: God, Thank You for loving me. Thank You for loving me, Jesus. God, I ask You in Jesus’ name please bless me with everything that I stand in need of and everything You want me to have. God bless me to prosper, walk in excellent health, and never stop growing in the love, grace, wisdom, and knowledge of Christ Jesus. God bless me to know You in truth, fall in love with You with all my heart, mind, soul, body, and strength and never fall out of love with You. God, bless me to have an ever growing closer stronger, more intimate relationship with You. Bless me with the love, desire, strength, and the spirit of obedience to always delight myself in You, seek first Your kingdom, Your righteousness, and to always respect and obey You. Bless me to know You, the way You want me to know You. So that I will trust You with my life and anyway that You move in my life. Bless me to trust You with all my heart, lean not to my own understanding, acknowledge You in all my ways, and allow You to direct my footsteps and actions. Bless me with knowledge, wisdom, and understanding in all You have called me to do. God heal me in every area of my life. Deliver and cleanse me of everything in my life that doesn't honor You. Transform and renew my mind. Bless me with love, power, and a sound mind. Let the mind that is in Christ Jesus be in me. Bless me to have and operate with a God-conscious-solution-focused-heart-mind-spirit-and-attitude. Bless me to have a God Kingdom Culture Mentality. God be with me as a mighty warrior. Let no weapon formed against me prosper. Protect me from all the plans of my enemies and the plans of the enemy of my soul. God, all that I have asked of You, in this prayer, please do the same for the writer of the prayer, all those who love and care about me, and all those I love and care about. God, please forever honor this prayer over each of our lives. God Thank You. Amen, so be it by faith, and by faith, it is so. Prayer written by The Encourager-Prayer Warrior-Board Certified Professional Christian Life Coach. www.theencourager.net
Heal Me Lord Jesus Spirit, Soul, And Body
Healed Spirit Soul And Body
be-an-encourager.blogspot.com
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