Do you ever struggle with advice like, “give your worries to God” and feel tempted to do a preteen-esque eye roll? Maybe throw in a heavy sigh or scrunched face and shoulder shrug to make your confusion and annoyance fully known?
Or maybe you read a verse that sounds more like a command than advice.
Do not be anxious about anything…” Philippians 4:6 NIV
Be anxious about nothing? Is that humanly possible? And if so, how do I get to a station in life where there’s nothing to worry about? Sign me up!
Thankfully, there’s more to the verse and we aren’t left in the dark.
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How Do I Give My Worries to God?
I’ve been guilty on more than one occasion of praying and leaving my quiet time with more anxiety than when I started. How can this be? If I give my worries to God, shouldn’t I be feeling much lighter?
Yes! Of course, but the trouble grows when we go through the motions of giving our worries to God rather than having the discipline to really give them over and leave them in his hands. It doesn’t work when we try to carry them back into the world with us.
Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” Philippians 4:6 NIV
In order to be worry-free, we have to be intentional. “Make wise choices” as my kids’ teachers like to repeat. In our anchor verse from Philippians, we’re told the keys not worrying about anything are:
- Pray.
- Petition (make specific, yet humble requests).
- Be thankful.
Emotional Acceptance
Nowhere in those steps are we promised a life without anxiety. We are told when we feel anxious we need to give our worries to God. God doesn’t want us to fake a worry-free disposition or deny our feelings.
He created us and all our emotions. And remember, he called his creation good!
Jesus himself was tempted by everything we face and certainly displayed anger, anguish, sadness, and grief. Each of these feelings can, however, easily lead to worry.
When we intentionally work on mindfulness and emotional acceptance, we learn to avoid being caught off guard by our emotions. We also ward off the temptation to stuff down what we may have been told are “un-Christian” feelings.
Instead, we can use this emotional acceptance as a signal it’s time to take tho two first steps in our key verse:
- Pray.
- Petition.
Yield to God
It’s how we handle our emotions and that we choose to involve God, that matter.
God wants a clear path to our heart at all times. As we learn to accept rather than suppress our emotions, we can start the practice of being honest with God. He wants every good thing for us and a close relationship with him is the very best starting point.
We can’t be intimate with God if we’re parceling ourselves out, hiding the parts we think he’ll find displeasing. Go to God and know you will find rest!
Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30 NIV
Yielding to God is far easier when we remember the promises of God! Being mindful of all he’s promised reminds us that choosing to give our worries to God won’t disappoint us.
Instead, we are prompted to accomplish our 3rd step:
Be Thankful
When we can take a moment to be thankful for all God has already done in our lives, it makes it that much easier to rest in our faith that He will do it again!
Give God your worries by showering Him with praises of Thanksgiving and gratitude!
Take Your Troubles to the Lord
As you give your worries to God, you’ll find support in remembering the promises of God. They are timeless and applicable in all situations. He is faithful to fulfill each of them!
Giving your worries to God means that you fully trust in these promises and that He will make good on them (like He has already done before!).
Remember God Has a Plan for All of Us
God has a plan for all of us and God’s timing is the best. When we yield to God, we are already stepping into that plan.
For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11 NIV
“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28 NIV
Take comfort in knowing God has a plan for all of us. What’s more is that his plan is for good things, prosperous things and purposeful things. You can give your worries to God because he is trustworthy!
Remember God is Always With You
So do not fear, for I am with you;
do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you;
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” Isaiah 41:10 NIV“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9 NIV
“Before a word is on my tongue
you, Lord, know it completely.
You hem me in behind and before,
and you lay your hand upon me.” Psalm 139:4-5 NIV
When you give your worries to God, you aren’t snail-mailing a newsletter overseas, hoping it arrives in a timely manner. This handoff is a loving conversation with your Father.
Remember, God is always with you, an ever-present help in time of trouble (Psalm 46:1). So simply introduce your worries to him and leave them under his care.
Remember God Loves You
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16 NIV
“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8 NIV
“For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:38-39
When you find it difficult to give your worries to God, remember he loves you! There is absolutely nothing that can put you outside of God’s love. None of the things that have you worried are bigger than he is.
Remember, God loves you so much that he made great sacrifices to be with you. That same God who sacrificed so greatly tells us not to fear our troubles because has overcome the world (John 16:33).
Remember God Will Give You Strength
But those who hope in the Lord
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.” Isaiah 40:31 NIV“The LORD will give strength to His people; The LORD will bless His people with peace.” Psalm 29:11
“For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.” 2 Timothy 1:7
How wonderful to read these verses back to back! Often when we worry, it isn’t because we can’t accept what is happening or coming soon. It is because we fear we don’t have the strength to get through it. But remember, God will give you strength and then bless you with peace! There is no doubting you can give your worries to God!
Remember God Provides All Your Needs
Then Jesus said to his disciples: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?” Luke 12:22-26 NIV
“The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.” Psalm 23:1
Both of these passages go on to reveal more about how God provides all your needs. Read through these truths to see that when you give your worries to God you aren’t left empty-handed! He replaces your worry with peace and provision.
Give Your Worries to God for Real Peace
I promise I haven’t been holding out on you with the follow-up verses to where we started in Philippians. I just wanted to save the next part to the end, because it really is the best part! It is the BIG REVEAL promise that is given in response to our 3-steps to not worrying.
Reminder, the steps outlined in Philippians 4:6 are Pray, Petition and Be Thankful.
Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
Let’s see what comes next in verses 7 and 8!
And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Yes! This is what we were after all along. Real peace! When we do the work of emotional acceptance and yield to God, we receive a peace that is beyond our understanding. This divine inner peace sticks around to guard our heart against future worry.
Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.
Our eyes are cleared and we can see the beauty around us so we are better equipped to Pray, Petition and Be Thankful! God never leaves us empty-handed or short changes us. He is so gracious with his gifts!
I’m curious. When you’re worried, what do you focus on to restore an attitude of gratitude?
Be sure to also read:
This is so good — and so hard!
I love the idea of giving my worries to God, but sometimes it’s hard to wait and see how He handles them. When you’re in seasons without answers it can be wearing.
But that’s when I remember the petition. We’re supposed to keep coming back, and asking again and again and again. We’re not bothering Him; we are doing exactly what He said.
So I will keep coming back to Him in the waiting. And giving Him the worries and anxiety again and again until something shifts.
That’s so true about difficulty in the waiting. I spent two years praying for the same problem to be fixed. Multiple times a day I asked God for the same thing. And every time, and I do mean EVERY time, he told me to find what I was looking for in him. I fought him on it explaining how what I was asking was in his will. And I do believe it was, it just wasn’t in his timing. I wrote about it last year, and even as I look back on it now with you, I see the benefit of that petitioning. It brought me closer to him & changed my perspective while he very much worked in the situation I prayed over. But ultimately, he needed to be my everything! So, I guess I say all this to encourage you to keep petitioning and listening and keep your eyes and heart open for his multi-faceted answer! Praying for you now, Rebecca!
I am in total agreement that this is SO crucial — and SO impossible aside from the power of God. It’s a moment by moment thing as we trust.
Amen and amen, Michele! We have to know someone is in control of all the things we worry over – mainly the past and the future, right? So when we lean into God’s promises and give our worries to God, we can feel that relief. That only happens when we make a hand off to his much more capable hands. Thanks for the encouragement!
It’s true. I give my worries to God, thank him, then turn and drag them with me more often than I leave them behind. But God would not have given that instruction without making a way to succeed! God is Faithful!
A desire to give your worries to God is a great first step though! You’re right that he gives us a solid method to what we sometimes (and the world all the time!) sees as madness. Indeed! He is faithful!
Learning to let go and give our worries to God is a difficult but necessary part of living a Christian life. Thank you for these three steps, Rachel.
Thanks, Aminata! I hope the steps help. I love, love, love dissecting verses and looking for ways we can practically apply what we learn. Even so, it all has to come back to us trusting and yielding to God. It’s only through faith that we can let go and give our worries to God!
I appreciate your advice and scriptures here. This is an area that I have to continually work on. Every little bit helps in learning to overcome and manage anxiety. Thanks for sharing.
Whew. Me, too! And don’t we have loads of opportunity to learn it?!? Each day has new things to worry about and there’s no way to anticipate each one! But emotional acceptance and yielding to God get us back on track fast. Remembering God’s promises and using them as affirmations or mantras are big helps with anxiety and depression for me. Focus on God cuts the focus on me and my worries. Praying for you now, sister!
It’s interesting that most of the verses you’ve shared here are the verses I’ve been holding on to. When I’m tempted to worry after I poured out all my concerns to God , I again remind myself to see things in God’s perspective. I look back to His promises and fill my mind again with pure thoughts. Easier said than done but the battle is really in the mind.
Yes! Developing the skill of letting go and giving it to God is one of those paths that feels easier at times, but always challenges me. Over the last few months, I have been reading everything I can on neuroplasticity. It’s broadening my perspective & causing me to value these verses even more. Learning how our thoughts affect our biology and our total wellbeing legitimately pushes me to be thankful for struggles. I can see them as an opportunity for God to show up and give me strength. And I can approach it without resentment or hint of eye roll. Most days anyway! ? Love & light to you as even now, months later, I know God is continuing the good work started in you!
Remembering all those promises of God makes such a difference when worries come. And worries come often. God is bigger than anything we face. Thanks for the reminder.
Yes, they do. Whew. All these months later, I can see how God has been leading me to continue learning how let go and leave it with him. Not that the struggles aren’t continuing the same way before handing them over! But my approach is softened. My burden truly is lighter. And it’s nothing in my power. It’s just God showing up and showing me that when I’m weak, he is strong!
Rachel, you are so right! Our burden can’t get any lighter if we don’t ACTUALLY leave it with Jesus in prayer. I do this so much. I actually started reading a book about prayer, and I’m realizing more and more how I sometimes just go through the motions of prayer without actually speaking to God. Thank you for this reminder.11
You got it, Erin! When we notice we’re praying on auto pilot it means we’re living on auto pilot. It’s an opportunity to pump the breaks & sit still for a minute. Taking a breath, meditating, being mindful on the walk to the mailbox, looking at faces in traffic and searching for one thing to celebrate each day are all ways to reset & connect with our Creator. We can’t release what we haven’t held. And we can’t hold or process our struggle if we’re on auto pilot, going through the motions. I’m encouraged knowing you’ve been encouraged by your book. It’s contagious! Lots of love and light to you!
I came upon your blog late Thursday evening January 28, 2021. I was overwhelmed and full of fear and anxiety. I read through this particular blog and focused intently and deeply on applying it with my current situation. I felt much better after almost 2 hours of discussion with God. I didn’t sleep well at night and I woke up at 4 AM. Rather than going to a distraction or reading or watching something on TV or going to the Internet I went back to this blog and again basically meditated on the process of giving my worries to God. What happened on Friday the 29th was just amazing, really spell binding. Whike I did hang on to my worries and had a little episode of resentment early in the day, God literally wiped away most of my petition items as the day wore on; these were not easy lifts off my shoulders and they were worries not even supposed to be decided this particular day. One after another my worries were lifted away and it was absolutely amazing. I got down on my knees when I got home and prayed thanksgiving to God. I only hope I can continue to focus on this approach and avoid distraction. This is the most powerful response to a prayer that I’ve ever seen but every bit of what you said in the blog came to fruition in regards to this not being snail mail etc. Thank you for the work that you do to make the word of God available for more practical application in every day life.
Thank you so much for sharing your story. I love that you included how long you were in prayer, as well as the results, and then how you came back to meditate and continue in prayer. God is so good to provide us with practical, actionable ways to trust our worries to him and receive peace. Your response of gratitude to God is so encouraging. I’ve just said a prayer that God continues to show you how much can be entrusted to him.