A Calming Prayer for Anxiety, Worry, and Fear
The hollow growl of a thunderstorm awakens me well past midnight. I turn to look out the open window and watch the skyline flicker white. Four sleepless hours later, I lie on my back and utter a calming prayer with the hopes of quieting the noise inside my head . . .
A Calming Prayer for Anxiety, Worry, and Fear
My calming prayer goes like this: “You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you.”
The prayer is from Isaiah 26:3.
It’s a promise for peace to cover us as we place our trust in God and keep our thoughts fixed on him. But what does it look like to claim this promise when you’ve been lying awake for hours, knowing that the alarm clock will soon call you to begin a new day?
What does it look like to claim this perfect peace when the diagnosis is grim, the marriage is falling apart, the job is lost, or the demands of life feel suffocating?
As I consider this calming prayer for peace, I think of everything that’s stealing my peace.
Life’s been full here lately.
Our schedule is stretched.
Weekends are filled to the brim, the house is in a constant state of disarray, at least two family members are bickering at any given moment throughout the average day, the laundry baskets are never empty, and I can never seem to catch up on writing work.
As I stare at the ceiling amid the sleepless night, a gentle thought passes through my mind. It goes something like this: Where is your peace? Is it found in organization, cleanliness, and control? Or is it found in God?
Where Is Your Peace?
I know the answer.
All too often, my inner peace is contingent upon feeling like I’m caught up at work and home. When I’m meeting writing deadlines, the house is clean, and the kids are thriving, I have peace.
Sadly, when I find my peace by keeping control over my circumstances, I’ve placed my peace on shifting sands.
Sadly, when I place my peace in circumstantial order, I’ve placed my peace on shifting sands. #peace #peaceofGod #Godspeace Share on XGod promises peace for those who trust in him—even when everything else feels chaotic and stressful.
We find peace by learning to keep our thoughts fixed on him.
Your anxiety, worry, or fear might be far more serious than a shift to a busier schedule. Perhaps a loved one is fighting a battle between life and death or your future looks uncertain. Regardless of your situation, let’s look at several ways to keep our thoughts fixed on the Lord as we pray this calming prayer for peace.
How to Put This Calming Prayer Into Action
Let’s look at several ways to put this calming prayer into action in our lives. Also, be sure to read to the end of today’s post for a free devotional eBook to help you draw near to God for peace.
1. Read God’s Word.
Fixing our thoughts on God requires a renewal of the mind. In the flesh, our minds tend to focus on our problems. If we want to think God’s thoughts, we need God to renew our minds.
God uses Scripture to renew our minds. He shapes our minds as we read his Word.
Throughout certain seasons of my life, I’ve fallen into the habit of picking and choosing my daily Scripture readings. There’s nothing wrong with jumping around or doing a quick search to find a verse to speak into a situation. Yet reading through the whole Bible offers a deep kind of renewal that can be found nowhere else.
Whether we read through a one-year reading plan, a chronological Bible, or simply start at the beginning and read a set number of pages per day, God’s Word will change us. He uses his Word to help us fix our thoughts on him.
2. Memorize God’s Word.
I memorized large passages of Scripture throughout my twenties. Much to my frustration, after becoming a mom, weariness pulled me from the discipline.
In his book Life Without Lack, Dallas Willard wrote that memorizing Scripture is the primary way God works to renew our minds. After reading this quote shortly after turning 40, I renewed my commitment to memorizing Scripture. I find that the more I focus on the Word, the more quickly my thoughts return to him in overwhelming moments.
3. Speak God’s Word.
Speaking God’s Word out loud reminds us of what is true. God’s Word also holds authority in the spiritual realm. When Satan tempted Jesus in the desert, Jesus spoke God’s Word in response.
Isaiah 26:3 is a calming prayer because praying God’s Word anchors our hearts in eternal truths. We align ourselves with the Prince of Peace, and his peace becomes our peace.
4. Dwell on God’s Word.
In Deuteronomy 11:18-21 (NLT), God’s people are reminded to hold God’s Word close to their hearts at all times:
“So commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these words of mine. Tie them to your hands and wear them on your forehead as reminders. Teach them to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up. Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates, so that as long as the sky remains above the earth, you and your children may flourish in the land the LORD swore to give your ancestors.”
These words hold true for us today.
When we learn to dwell on God’s Word, we will flourish.
God wants his Word to be imbibed in our hearts and minds in such a way that we talk about his Word throughout our days, naturally share his Word with our loved ones, and remind ourselves of his Word when we are at home and in our communities.
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I finally fall asleep shortly before dawn. As expected, the youngest awakens me just as birdsong sounds through the open window.
“You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you,” I pray, and I climb from bed to begin the work of the day.
Calling All Parents and Grandparents!
As the parent of two sons and a daughter, I have a heart for helping parents develop deeper relationships with their children and with God. Our kids, ages 6, 11, and 15, share this vision. They have helped me write three family devotionals for parents or older relatives to read with the children and teens they love. You can find all three books here or read more below.
Calling All Boy Moms (and Dads)!
God’s Warrior: Devotions for Boys Who Want to Grow in Courage and Strength helps young boys, ages 5-13, learn what it means to trust God and become strong warriors for his kingdom. Now, more than ever, our world needs men who are willing to boldly carry God’s love into the world. I wrote this boys’ devotional book with our two young sons, Aiden and Caleb, ages six and eleven! You’ll enjoy their honesty as we teach boys how to be strong warriors for the Lord. Find this life-changing devotional book here.
Mother-Daughter Devotionals by a Mom and Daughter
Girl to Girl: 60 Mother-Daughter Devotions for a Closer Relationship and Deeper Faith is written for girls ages 7-12. It includes 60 devotions with Scripture, conversation starters, and a shared journaling section for moms and daughters after each devotion. I wrote this book with the help of our daughter, Bekah, when she was eleven. Find this one-of-a-kind shared devotional here.
Heart to Heart: A Mother-Daughter Devotional With 50 Devotions for Teen Girls is for teenage girls ages 13-20. It includes 50 devotions, each with a shared journaling section to help moms and daughters connect through writing. This is a great book for moms who want to communicate about awkward topics—like dating, sexuality, peer pressure, and more—but don’t know where to start. Bekah and I will help you right here.
Find Our Family Devotionals Here
Find all three books right here. They are also free on the Kindle Unlimited plan, which you can enjoy with a free three-month trial! These books make great gifts, and you don’t need to be the parent of young children to read them. Share them with your grandchildren, nieces, nephews, or the young ones you love.
Learn Why Willpower Doesn’t Work and Experience God’s Deliverance and Healing
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 as a free eBook on Kindle Unlimited or for 12.99 in print right here. (If you do not have Kindle Unlimited, you can try it out with a free three-month trial!) This book will transform your life and revitalize your relationship with the Lord!
A Free Devotional to Help You Connect With God
God is a good Father, and he wants us to experience his healing, deliverance, and replenishment. Most of us have learned that we cannot heal, deliver, or refresh ourselves; we need God to do this work within us. I invite you to create space for God to transform your life by downloading a free copy of my devotional eBook, The Lean Into Grace Devotional: An 8-Day Devotional for Healing, Deliverance, and Replenishment. Find it for free here. 
