Praying Away Anxiety Series

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:6-7

Pray Away Anxiety

Once again, when you have accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior you get up all your rights to worry about things of this world. For a Christian to worry is a sin. When we truly have God in our lives, what can be legitimately worry? The Bible says after all says, “What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?” Romans 8:31 This in theory is why Christians should not worry or be anxious for nothing. However, because a Christian has two natures it can be more complicated. I have said from the pulpit I preach at the most that Christians are crazy because we have two natures. We have a sinful human nature. Christians also have a holy spiritual nature. The nature we feed the most will win out in our character.

Christians feed their spiritual nature with prayer and studying the Word of God. Alexander Whyte once said, “No prayer! --No faith! --No Christ in the heart. Little prayer! --Little faith! --Little Christ in the heart. Increasing prayer! --Increasing faith! --Increasing Christ in the heart! Much prayer! --Much faith! --Much Christ in the heart! Praying always! --Faith always! --Christ always!” So, if we will overcome anxiety in our life after salvation we have to learn how to pray.

Ezra the priest has reason to be anxious. This was Ezra confession in Ezra 8:22, “I was ashamed to ask the king for soldiers and horsemen to protect us from enemies on the road, because we had told the king, “The gracious hand of our God is on everyone who looks to him, but his great anger is against all who forsake him. 23 So we fasted and petitioned our God about this, and he answered our prayer.”

Petition Away Anxiety

For a Christian to overcome anxiety in their life they must learn how to pray. The disciples noticed the deep intimate relationship that Jesus had with His Father. Jesus would always still away to pray to His Father. So, the disciples asked Jesus to teach us how to pray. Jesus than taught the model prayer. Some in the past have called it the Lord’s prayer. However, it is best describe as the Disciples Prayer. Matthew 6:9-14 (NIV) says, “This, then, is how you should pray:

“‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, 10 your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. 11 Give us today our daily bread. 12 And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.

13 And lead us not into temptation,[a] but deliver us from the evil one.[b]’ 14 For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.

This prayer can be broken down into five areas.

The Holiness of God

“‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name,

The Heaven of God

10 your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

The Humanity of God

11 Give us today our daily bread.

The Harmony of God

12 And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.

The Hindrance of God

13 And lead us not into temptation, [a] but deliver us from the evil one. [b]’

Peace Away Anxiety

If we would like peace from anxiety, you must learn the power of this prayer. This is why Christians must learn to pray. The bible says in Philippians 4:6-7, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Prayer and thankfulness will keep your mind from anxiety.

The great thing about the disciple’s prayer is that it is full of prayer and petition. As we learn to pray as Jesus has taught us we will pray the will of God in our lives. R.C. Sproul in, “The Prayer of the Lord,’ says, “Prayer does change things, all kinds of things. But the most important thing it changes is us. As we engage in this communion with God more deeply and come to know the One with whom we are speaking more intimately, that growing knowledge of God reveals to us all the more brilliantly who we are and our need to change in conformity to Him. Prayer changes us profoundly.”