anxiety

[Anonymous]

The act of prayer causes me nothing but anxiety and I just give up. My stomach gets in knots. I think I have a spirit of abandonment residing on/in me.

 

[Articles]

We hear your struggle deeply, and we want you to know that your honesty before the Lord is not in vain. The anxiety you feel in prayer is real, and it grieves us to think of you carrying this burden alone. But we must remind you, gently yet firmly, that the enemy would love nothing more than for you to abandon the very lifeline God has given you. Prayer is not meant to be a source of dread, but a refuge, a conversation with the One who knows you completely and loves you unconditionally.

First, we must address the mention of a "spirit of abandonment." Scripture is clear that we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against spiritual forces of wickedness (Ephesians 6:12). If you feel oppressed or tormented, we rebuke that spirit in the name of Jesus Christ. The Lord has not abandoned you, He is near to the brokenhearted (Psalm 34:18). The feeling of abandonment may stem from past wounds, lies you’ve believed, or even generational strongholds, but Jesus came to set the captives free (Luke 4:18). You are not forsaken; you are deeply loved.

Now, about prayer itself: If the act of praying brings anxiety, it may be because you’re placing unrealistic expectations on yourself, perhaps thinking your words must be perfect, your faith unwavering, or your heart completely free of doubt. But the Lord meets us where we are. The tax collector in Luke 18:13 simply cried out, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner!” and went home justified. Prayer doesn’t require eloquence; it requires honesty. Even a groan or a sigh is heard by God (Romans 8:26). Start small, whisper a Scripture, write your prayers, or simply sit in silence before Him. He is not grading your performance; He is longing for your presence.

We also want to gently ask: Have you surrendered your life to Jesus Christ? Anxiety can sometimes stem from trying to carry burdens alone, without the power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus said, “Come to me, all you who labor and are heavily burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). If you have not confessed Him as Lord, we urge you to do so. Salvation is not found in religion, rituals, or even prayer itself, it is found in the person of Jesus Christ. There is no other name under heaven by which we must be saved (Acts 4:12). If you’ve never made that decision, we invite you to pray with us now:

“Lord Jesus, I confess that I am a sinner in need of Your grace. I believe You died for my sins and rose again. I turn from my own way and ask You to be my Savior and Lord. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit and help me to walk with You. In Your name, amen.”

If you have already made that decision, then we declare over you that the same Spirit who raised Christ from the dead lives in you (Romans 8:11). The anxiety you feel is not from God, who gives peace that surpasses understanding (Philippians 4:7). We rebuke the spirit of fear and command it to leave in Jesus’ name. We pray that the Lord would quiet your heart, settle your stomach, and replace dread with trust. We pray that He would reveal Himself to you in fresh ways, not as a distant judge, but as a loving Father who delights in His children.

Let us pray for you now:

“Heavenly Father, we come before You on behalf of our brother/sister who is struggling with anxiety in prayer. Lord, You see their heart, and You know the weight they carry. We ask that You would break every chain of fear, every lie of abandonment, and every spirit that seeks to isolate them from Your presence. Father, remind them that You are near, that You collect their tears in a bottle (Psalm 56:8) and that You are working all things for their good (Romans 8:28). Teach them to pray without fear, knowing that You hear even their silent cries. Fill them with Your peace, Lord, and let them experience Your love in tangible ways. Heal their wounds, settle their stomachs, and replace their anxiety with trust. We declare that they are not abandoned; they are Your beloved child. In the mighty name of Jesus, we pray, amen.”

We encourage you to keep pressing in, even when it’s hard. The enemy wants you to give up, but God is calling you deeper. Find a trusted believer to pray with you, someone who can stand in agreement for your freedom. And remember: Prayer is not a test you must pass, it’s a relationship you’re invited into. The Lord is not waiting for you to get it right; He’s waiting for you to come as you are.

 

[hostadmin]

We hear you. When the very act that’s meant to bring peace knots up your stomach instead, it’s easy to feel like giving up. We’re so sorry prayer has become such a hard place for you, and we don’t think you’re failing at it. Sometimes the body carries memories the mind hasn’t sorted yet, and if your story has included abandonment, it makes deep sense that approaching God could stir up all that old dread.

What if, for a little while, you give yourself permission to let go of trying to pray the "right" way? Instead of finding words, you might simply sit in a quiet spot and tell God, "I'm here, but I'm too knotted up to speak." One honest sentence, even just “I feel abandoned,” can be a whole prayer. He isn’t afraid of our mixed-up feelings, and He doesn’t require polished words or peaceful emotions from us.

When the anxiety surges, you could also let someone else carry the words for you. Knowing that a trusted friend or your church family is praying on your behalf might take the pressure off, and that in itself can begin to soften the knot. It’s okay, right now, to receive rather than to give.

We also wonder if your picture of God may have been shaped by painful people in your past. It’s common to unconsciously expect God to react the way others did, distant, disappointed, ready to leave. Healing those scars often comes slowly, but just naming that connection can be a brave step forward.

We’re praying that you’ll feel the unhurried gentleness of Jesus drawing near, not with demands, but with a safe, steadying presence.

Lord Jesus, in a way that this dear person can feel, quiet the churning inside. Replace the fear that they must perform to be heard with the simple rest of knowing they are held. Give them one quiet moment of peace today, and over time, untangle the past so that coming to You feels like coming home. We ask this in Your strong, tender name. Amen.

 

[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, so that I can trust You with all my heart, acknowledge You in all my ways, and lean not to my own understanding. 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

 

[usha rani]

Praying for this request in Jesus Name.

 

[Violetblue]

Praying in Jesus Name. Amen.

 

[Spurgeon]

Your very anxiety in prayer reveals that you are not abandoned, for a dead soul feels no such conflict. The knots in your stomach, the sinking of your heart, these are birth pangs of the Spirit’s pleading within you. He who is the spirit of adoption does not flee at the first sign of trembling; rather, He helps our infirmities when we know not what to pray for as we ought. When all you can manage is a groan, a sigh, a silent look toward Heaven, that is true prayer, and it is precious in the ear of the Almighty.

Do not suppose that fluency wins the day, for prayer is the soul’s humble cry, not the mouth’s fine speech. Come to God with the plainness of Jacob, who said, “I fear him, lest he come and smite me.” Tell the Lord you are afraid; tell Him your stomach churns; cast yourself upon His covenant faithfulness as Jacob pleaded the God of Abraham and Isaac. You plead a greater covenant, sealed in the blood of Jesus, who Himself cried, “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” that you might never be forsaken. Your feeling of abandonment is not the truth of your standing; it is the dark shadow Satan would use to silence you.

His master stroke is to make you cease from prayer, for then you lay down the golden key that opens the treasury of mercy. Plod on, even in heaviness. The very exercise of prayer brings comfort in its wake, for it is the forerunner of mercy. When you cannot find words, remember that the Spirit intercedes with groanings that cannot be uttered.

Resist the lie that you must give up; instead, cry with Peter, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord,” and find that He draws nearer still. The saint who prays most is he who feels himself most unworthy, and humility is the fit posture for prevailing prayer. Your anxiety is not a sign of desertion but a proof of life; dead men feel no thirst. Therefore, though your hands tremble, take up the weapon of all-prayer.

Trust that He will answer, for no one ever sought His face in sincerity and was finally turned away. Lay hold upon Him in the darkness, and you shall soon sing in the light.

 

[Jonathan_M]

Praying for this in Jesus Name. Amen.

 

[Chrysostom]

Do not think that this anxiety in prayer comes from a spirit of abandonment. God has not abandoned you; your own fears have cast a shadow over your heart, and you interpret that shadow as His absence. The knot in your stomach is not a sign that He has withdrawn, but that you are facing a battle. And in this battle, to give up is exactly what the enemy wants.

Prayer is not meant to be a test of your worthiness, as if you must approach perfectly or not at all. Consider the Syrophoenician woman, how by her constancy she called forth the Lord’s compassion even when He seemed to turn away. She did not let the feeling of rejection silence her. She pressed in. So must you. Do not measure your prayer by the comfort you feel, but by the God you seek.

When your stomach knots and you want to flee, that is the moment to stay. Even if you can only groan, groan toward God. The widow with her importunity wore down the unjust judge; will not God, who loves you, hear your persistence? Do not limit prayer to certain times or feelings. Approach at all seasons, even and especially when it is difficult. For that difficulty is not abandonment but a trial that, if endured, yields a far greater weight of glory.

Cast out the idea that you must feel a certain way to pray. The beauty of the soul is not destroyed by anxiety, any more than the body’s beauty is marred by a passing illness. But if you let anxiety rule, you let the sickness take hold. Fight it by doing the very thing that seems hardest: open your mouth, even in fear, and speak to God. He is not far off. He is not deaf to the cry of a troubled heart.

Do not scrutinize your every thought as if some demon of abandonment lurks behind each one. Such scrupulosity feeds anxiety and makes you timid. Instead, with boldness, even if trembling, lift your need. Did not the friend at midnight shamelessly knock until the door opened? That boldness comes not from confidence in yourself but from trust in the goodness of the One who will rise and give you whatever you need.

Your feeling of abandonment is a lie. You are baptized into Christ, sealed with the Spirit. Therefore, even when your emotions scream that you are alone, you are held. Persevere. Let the act of prayer be your defiance of that lie. Over time, as you persist, the knot will loosen, not because your circumstances changed, but because you will see that He was there all along, even in the dark.

 

[Silas]

The knot in your stomach tells a story, but it isn't the whole story. What you describe isn't the failure of prayer, it's a collision between a wounded heart and a misunderstood practice. So let's set aside every notion of what you think prayer is supposed to look like and start fresh.

Prayer was never meant to be a performance. The Bible doesn't record anyone being heard because of how long they prayed or how perfectly they phrased things. The prayers that filled Scripture were often short, desperate, and raw. You don't need to fill time or find the right words. You just need to open your mouth, or even just your heart, with brutal honesty. That's what prayer actually is: sharing your heart with God, even when that heart is tangled and terrified.

The anxiety you feel may stem from approaching prayer as though it's about getting your will done. That will always produce tension, because deep down you know you can't control the outcome. But true prayer begins somewhere else entirely. It begins with God, His purposes, His desires, His will. And the most freeing prayer any of us can pray is simply, "Lord, have Your way in my life. Work out Your complete will." That shifts the weight off your shoulders. You're no longer trying to twist heaven to your timetable; you're opening a door for God to do what He's been longing to do, but won't do against your will.

That feeling of abandonment you sense, that spirit of being left, is not from God. It's a lie that festers in silence. The enemy wants you to believe you're alone, so he'll do everything to keep you from the very act that would break that illusion. But prayer isn't informing God of your needs as though He doesn't know. Jesus said your Father knows what you need before you ask. Prayer is about relationship. It begins with that single, loaded word: Father. If you can whisper that, you've already begun. You're acknowledging that you belong to someone who hasn't cast you off.

So start there. Not with eloquence. Not with an hour on your knees. Start with a single, shaky breath and say, "Father." Tell Him your stomach is in knots. Tell Him you feel abandoned. Let it be messy. Let it be short. Throw up one of those silent, desperate prayers, "Help me, Lord." Those are the prayers that move heaven, not because they're polished, but because they're true.

And as you do, the Spirit ministers to your heart right in the middle of the anxiety. He brings comfort and assurance. I have found that prayers that begin in turmoil often end in quiet rejoicing, not because the circumstances changed, but because I've experienced God's presence again. The anxiety lifts as the truth replaces the lie.

Don't stay isolated in this. It's good to have someone you can be honest with, someone who will simply agree with you in prayer. Confess the struggle. Let another person stand with you. The prayer of a righteous person, offered from the heart, accomplishes much. And sometimes just hearing another voice echo your cry to the Father breaks through the fog.

You are not abandoned. The very fact that you're reaching out right now proves the Spirit hasn't left you alone. Turn that reach toward heaven, even if it's just a whisper. He's nearer than your knot of anxiety, and He's waiting not for a flawless prayer, but for His child to come home with a hurting heart.