What Is Anxiety?

According to the American Psychological Association, anxiety is “an emotion characterized by feelings of tension, worried thoughts, and physical changes like increased blood pressure.”

There is a common misunderstanding that anxiety is synonymous with fear. The difference between anxiety and fear is that the former is more focused on the future and has a longer duration, while the latter is more appropriate and has a shorter duration in response to a clearly defined and immediate danger. 

Anxiety is a natural human emotion. Health, finances, education, employment, and family are among the many topics that people worry about. However, excessive concern or fear is a hallmark of anxiety disorders. 

People who suffer from these conditions often experience persistent and exacerbating anxiety that does not go away, no matter how much they try to control it.

How Does Prayer Help With Anxiety?

While anxiety disorders are serious mental health conditions that should be addressed with the help of a professional, common feelings of anxiety caused by daily issues can be lowered with the help of prayer.

According to research, people who frequently praise God in prayer tend to report lower levels of anxiety. Praise shifts focus away from personal worries and toward trust in a higher power, which can calm the mind. 

Additionally, those who strongly believe that God answers their prayers also report lower anxiety, likely because this belief builds emotional security and a sense of connection. 

However, prayers rooted in guilt, stress, or desperation, like constantly asking for health, money, or forgiveness, were linked to higher anxiety. These forms may reflect unresolved fears or strained views of one’s relationship with God. 

10 Prayers for Anxiety and Stress

Overcoming feelings of anxiety and stress can seem difficult, at times impossible, but the following prayers will help you find strength in Him and see beyond dark times.

Prayer for Peace of Mind

This prayer for peace of mind from Burnside Presbyterian Church is destined for restless minds:

“O Lord, I come to You for protection from a restless mind. Turn Your ear to me and set me free. My mind is oppressed, in the cruel clutches of fear. I will always praise You, for You have been with me, caring for me since I was in my mother’s womb, and You have been my strength and protection all my life. And now, don’t set me aside, don’t abandon me. Be to me, O God, my rock of safety. Amen.”

A Prayer for Peace

Burnside Presbyterian Church also gave us this prayer for peace:

“Only True God, as I open my heart in simple faith, may I receive Your rest. As I live in unbroken consciousness of communion with You, dear Father, submitting my will to Yours and living in full dependence to You, may I be at the center and foundation of Your peace-giving power. I live in eternal gratitude that the great sacrifice of Your Son Jesus secured the true beginning of all real peace, bringing us into perfect accord with You. Amen.”

Prayers for Stress

If you’re feeling stressed, try these prayers:

“Dear God,

It’s difficult to fully let go of our anxiety, or the world around us when we can’t see evidence of all that you’re doing – when we can’t understand or see your purpose or plan. Today, we pause and remind ourselves of our dependency on you, for we know in our hearts that our circumstances and futures are touched by your hands.

Isaiah 55:8 reminds us that our thoughts are not your thoughts – and that our ways are not your ways. When we are struggling to see clearly and make decisions, we are not alone and that inner peace is something only you can supply.

So today Lord, we purposefully, even urgently, say again that we choose to believe in you. We know that it’s often in the most challenging times that you are most at work. Thank you for being the one who gives us the strength to help each other and to see distinctly the choices we face. As we scan our personal horizons, we know that we also must look to you alone for the power and possibility that is our future.

We ask for your guidance so that we might walk fully in your path – a path that you have blessed. We also ask for your face to shine on us – individually, and as a team of colleagues and partners.

Please bring to fulfillment all that you have given us to do in the weeks ahead. Give us a heart of wisdom to hear your voice; and then make our footsteps firm. Please make us strong through your favor and grace.

- Offered by Greg Christopher”

“Loving God, please grant me peace of mind and calm my troubled heart. My soul is like a turbulent sea. I can't seem to find my balance so I stumble and worry constantly. Give me the strength and clarity of mind to find my purpose and walk the path you've laid out for me. I trust your Love God, and know that you will heal this stress. Just as the sun rises each day against the dark of night. Please bring me clarity with the light of God.

In your name I pray,

- Author Unknown”

“Dear God,

Right now, my heart feels heavy and my mind is overwhelmed.

The pressures of life are weighing me down, and I need Your peace more than ever.

Please calm the storm inside me. Help me to breathe deeply, to let go of what I cannot control, and to trust that You are working in all things for my good.

Give me the strength to face each challenge with courage, and the wisdom to know when to rest. Remind me that I don’t walk alone—You are with me in every moment, offering grace, guidance, and comfort.

Lord, take this stress from my hands and replace it with Your perfect peace.

Help me to lean on You, trust in Your promises, and find rest in Your love.

I know You are bigger than anything I’m facing.

In Jesus’ name,

Amen.”

Prayer for Calmness

“As he sat by the river,

the eyes of his understanding began to be opened;

not that he saw any vision,

but he understood and learnt many things,

both spiritual matters and matters of faith and of scholarship,

and this with so great an enlightenment

that everything seemed new to him.

- Ignatius of Loyola, The Autobiography”

Prayer for Nervousness

Sound City Bible Church offers this prayer you can try when you’re feeling nervous:

“God, I confess that there are moments when I cannot sense you near, times when anxiety and frustration overwhelm, and I find no help or consolation. I wish that I dwelt in a state where my hope and my confidence were always rooted and certain, my thoughts unclouded. But it is not always so.

Here I drag my heavy heart to see if you will meet me in my place of doubt and fear. I believe, Lord. Help my unbelief. For where else but to you will I go with my worries? You alone have the words of eternal life.

This I know to be true, my Lord and my God: You are not angered by my worries and my fears, for they have often been the very things that lead me to press closer into you, seeking the comfort of your presence.

In your presence, I can offer my anxieties knowing you are never threatened by them.

They do not change your truth.

My doubts cannot unseat your promises.

You are a rock, Jesus.

You alone are strong enough to carry the weight of my troubled thoughts.

O Lord, let these fears never compel me to hide my heart from you. Let them rather lead me to begin holy conversations with you, make them into invitations to be present with you. Let me despair of my own knowledge and control and instead seek your face, knowing that when I plead for security and for answers, what I most need is your presence.”

Prayers for Strength

This prayer from Trietsch Memorial United Methodist Church can help you find your strength again:

“Dear God...

We seek your strength in our lives. When we are feeling weak or overwhelmed, help us to find the inner strength to keep going. Remind us that we are capable of more than we realize. Let your strength be our guide and support in tough times.

Thank you for being our rock and our refuge. With your strength, we can face any challenge. Help us to draw strength from our faith, trusting in your presence and your power in our lives. May we find strength in our relationships, leaning on loved ones for support and encouragement. Guide us to build resilience, learning from our struggles and growing stronger through adversity.

We pray for those who are feeling weak or defeated. Provide them with the strength and hope they need to persevere. Thank you for the strength that comes from knowing you are with us. Help us to rely on that strength every day.

Amen.”

As can this prayer from Dr. Ken Boa:

“Father, the word that goes forth from Your mouth will not return to You empty but will accomplish what You desire and achieve the purpose for which You sent it. I offer to You these prayers for strength, based on Your word. Your word teaches that I am like the grass that withers and my glory like the flower that fades, but Your word, my God, stands forever. Even when heaven and earth pass away, the words of the Jesus will never pass away. How blessed is the person whose strength is in You. As they pass through the valley, they go from strength to strength. God of Armies, hear my prayers for strength. Amen.”

Prayer for Relaxation

Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith helps you relax again with this prayer:

“Jesus, I am stressed. Help me to accept your invitation to come empty and receive the rest I need. Help me to willingly release my fear, my worries, my agenda, and my to-do list. Ease the tension and replenish my body. Silence the voices of doubt and speak Your words of truth. Remove the heaviness of my day and pour out abundantly into my life. Fill me with Your peace, joy, and love. Fill me until the overwhelm is consumed by Your grace, and my life reflects the beauty of resting in You. Amen.”

Find Inner Peace With The Help of the Bible Chat App

When anxiety hits, finding the right prayer or verse can make all the difference. With the Bible Chat app, you’ll always have encouraging scriptures and calming prayers right in your pocket.

Download it today and bring peace closer with just a few taps.

Conclusion

Praying through anxiety can bring comfort, strength, and a sense of calm. Whether you speak these prayers quietly or share them with a friend, they’re a powerful way to feel God’s peace in stressful moments.

References

Anxiety, https://www.apa.org/topics/anxiety, accessed on 23.04.2025;

Anxiety Disorders, https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/anxiety-disorders, accessed on 23.04.2025;

Unpacking the Relationship Between Prayer and Anxiety: A Consideration of Prayer Types and Expectations in the United States, https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9713100/, accessed on 23.04.2025;

25 Encouraging Prayers For Peace Of Mind, https://burnsidechurch.weebly.com/trypraying/25-encouraging-prayers-for-peace-of-mind, accessed on 23.04.2025;

Calmness Prayers, https://www.xavier.edu/jesuitresource/online-resources/prayer-index/calmness-prayers, accessed on 23.04.2025;

A Prayer for the Anxious Heart, https://www.soundcitybiblechurch.com/articles/2021/9/21/a-prayer-for-the-anxious-heart, accessed on 23.04.2025;

A Prayer for Strength, https://www.tmumc.org/stories/posts/a-prayer-for-strength, accessed on 23.04.2025;

Prayers for Strength, https://reflections.org/prayers-for-strength/, accessed on 23.04.2025;

3 Prayers for Rest, Renewal, and Relaxation, https://sarahforgrave.com/2018/02/12/3-prayers-for-rest-renewal-and-relaxation/, accessed on 23.04.2025.

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