Purposeful Living

5 Prayers for Insecurity: When You Wonder If You Fit in

Do you ever walk into crowded rooms and wonder where you fit in?  Maybe you feel like you don’t fit in at all.  Most of us have felt this way.  Today, we’ll explore five empowering prayers for insecurity as we aim to overcome our fears of rejection.

Prayers for Insecurity

I make my way cautiously from the ornately decorated lobby of the exquisite hotel and follow the lavender banners that lead to the conference room.  I’ve just traveled eight hours to attend a women’s conference.

This seemed like a wonderful idea from afar.  Now that I’m here, I’m reconsidering.

I imagine the hundreds of women who will sit among the rose-colored decorations.  I wonder if I’ll make a friend, if I’ll fit in, or if this will feel strangely similar to the first day of middle school.

My shirt feels too wrinkled, my pants too tight, and my carefully curled hair too frizzy in the Carolina humidity.

I’m heading toward the registration table, wondering why in the world I thought it was a good idea to undertake this adventure all alone, when I remind myself to keep praying.

Overcoming Social Anxiety Through Prayer

Most of us know how it feels to walk into crowded rooms and feel awkward.

In these moments, we face a choice: We can focus on ourselves as we attempt to fit in, or we can pause in prayer and ask God to empower us.

Imagine what might happen if we paused to pray in moments of insecurity.

Maybe God would realign our priorities with his priorities.  We might take our eyes off of ourselves and remember the higher calling: God is always calling us to take our eyes off of ourselves and look for ways to love others.

Let’s look at five empowering prayers for insecurity together today.

5 Empowering Prayers for Insecurity

If you ever feel the way I felt that humid morning, here are five empowering prayers for insecurity.

1. Ask God to help you shift from inward to outward focus.

When we’re feeling insecure, it’s easy to think only about ourselves.  We focus inward and wonder who will make us feel included.

Instead, imagine what might happen if we asked God to help us stop focusing on our insecurities and focus on others instead.

Perhaps God would help us love others, enabling us to be his vessels.

Perhaps we’d stop thinking about ourselves as we listened to and loved other people.

Here is a prayer: “Father, please help me to stop looking inward and, instead, look outward.  Help me to love the people you have placed in front of me with your love, thinking about them and not thinking only about my insecurities.”

2. Pray for eyes to see the needs around you.

As I walked cautiously toward the women at the conference registration table, I reminded myself that the calling in my life is to love God and love others.

Stopping in my tracks, I paused to ask God for eyes to see the needs of the women around me.  This single prayer reframed my entire weekend.  Instead of thinking about my needs, I became focused on loving and encouraging others.

Here is a prayer: “Lord, please give me your eyes to see the needs around me.  Lead me to someone who needs an encounter with your love and kindness.  Empower me to be your vessel.”

This leads to our next prayer.

3. Pray that God will show you how to encourage someone else.

God knows what we can’t see on the surface.  He knows about the coworker who needs a friend.  He loves the lonely cashier whose day might be rescued by a single compliment.  God sees the tired mom who is desperate for just a few minutes of adult conversation.

Ask God to show you how to encourage the people he sets before you.  You will soon find that the anxiety-inducing social situation becomes an exciting journey of loving others alongside your heavenly Father.

Here is a prayer: “God, please show me how to encourage those you have placed in front of me.  Show me where you want to move and work, and I will join you by encouraging others.”

4. Thank God for your unchanging identity as his beloved child.

We aren’t free to love others selflessly until their approval is not what matters most.  When I’m afraid I might say the wrong thing or embarrass myself, my concerns rest on the approval of others.  I’m more concerned with being liked than being God’s vessel of love.

Adversely, when I grasp that my core identity is firmly fixed on God’s love, I don’t need to fear looking foolish in the eyes of others. I have the approval of the only One who matters.  This love sets me free to love others without fear—without needing anything in return.

Here is a prayer: “Father, thank you that I am your precious and dearly loved child.  Above all else, I am loved by you.  Help me to stand on this identity as I connect with others today.  Regardless of whether I am accepted or rejected, you love me.  This is what matters most.”

5. Pray for the courage to step out.

One of the best pieces of advice I have ever received regarding social anxiety is this: When you feel left out, step out.

In other words, don’t cower in a corner hoping someone will include you.  Instead of overthinking your insecurities, ask God to show you a group to plug into, walk over to that group, and warmly insert yourself.

Most of the time, other people are not thinking about including or excluding you.  Insert yourself into a group of people, and you will most likely be included.  If you’re not included, look for a different group.

Here is a prayer: “God, please give me the courage to step out and step into a group of people.  Help me rest in the fact that you go with me, not fearing their rejection.  Enable me to carry your joy, love, and kindness into this group.”

Apply These Prayers to Your Life:

God calls us to be his vessels of love in the world.  Sadly, we cannot fulfill God’s calling when we’re looking at ourselves or chasing the approval of others.

God calls us to be his vessels of love in the world. Sadly, we cannot fulfill God’s calling when we’re looking at ourselves or chasing the approval of others. #GodsLove #GodsVessel Share on X

Friend, God has not called you to fit in.  He has called you to go into the world and carry his love.  The next time you catch yourself feeling insecure in a crowded room, shift your focus.  Lift your eyes and find someone who needs God’s love.  The most powerful prayers for insecurity are prayers to see the needs surrounding us.

A Free Devotional Book to Help You Overcome Insecurity:

Set Free: Let God Do What You Cannot explores ten realms in which most of us need God to work in our lives and bring deliverance.  We’ll talk about finding freedom from fear, worry, insecurity, bad habits, emotional pain, and more.  This short online devotional will bless you as you let God accomplish what you’ve been unable to achieve through willpower.  Get your download for free with promo code GRACE right here.

These Two Books are Free on Kindle Unlimited as eBooks and Also Available in Print:

God wants to work in your life to accomplish what you’ve been unable to do through willpower alone.  Lean Into Grace: Let God’s Grace Heal Your Heart, Refresh Your Soul, and Set You Free shares practical ways to experience God’s freedom, healing, power, and presence in your life.  Find this life-changing book in eBook form for free on the Kindle Unlimited Plan or for 12.99 in print right here.  (You can sign up for a free three-month Kindle Unlimited trial if you are not a member.) This book will transform your life and revitalize your relationship with the Lord!

Calling All Moms and Daughters!

Additionally, my 12-year-old daughter, Bekah, and I wrote a mother-daughter devotional book to help mothers and daughters grow closer together while connecting with God.  Girl to Girl: 60 Mother-Daughter Devotions for a Closer Relationship and Deeper Faith includes 60 devotions with Scripture, commentaries from both of us, conversation starters, and even a shared journaling section.  Multitudes of mothers, daughters, mentors, and younger women are being transformed by this book!  You can find this book in eBook form for free on the Kindle Unlimited Plan or buy a print copy for 11.99 right here.

This post was originally published at The Praying Woman right here.

I’m passionate about equipping others to encounter God in powerful and life-changing ways. When I’m not writing, you’ll find me hiking, jogging, exploring wild places with my three young children and husband, leading small groups, and mentoring younger women. A certified special education teacher, I am on leave from the classroom for a season of chasing frogs and playing in creeks with my little ones. Most of all, the compassionate love of Jesus has forever ravished my heart, and I'm emphatic about making his love known to the world.