1 00:00:02,680 --> 00:00:03,600 Speaker 1: Life Audio. 2 00:00:07,680 --> 00:00:10,039 Speaker 2: Welcome to the Untangling Prayer Podcast. 3 00:00:10,280 --> 00:00:14,600 Speaker 1: I'm Rachel Wojo, and each week we unravel life's notts 4 00:00:14,920 --> 00:00:20,080 Speaker 1: through prayer. Here you'll find practical wisdom and prayer encouragement 5 00:00:20,200 --> 00:00:24,079 Speaker 1: to guide you through life's hardest seasons. Join me as 6 00:00:24,120 --> 00:00:34,479 Speaker 1: we untangle life's messes together, one prayer at a time. Well, 7 00:00:34,520 --> 00:00:37,279 Speaker 1: hey there, I'm Rachel Wojo and I'm so glad you 8 00:00:37,360 --> 00:00:42,280 Speaker 1: have joined me today on the Untangling Prayer Podcast. Have 9 00:00:42,320 --> 00:00:45,360 Speaker 1: you ever prayed about something that scared you and then 10 00:00:45,479 --> 00:00:48,120 Speaker 1: you woke up the next morning and felt like you 11 00:00:48,200 --> 00:00:52,440 Speaker 1: were in the same boat. It hadn't changed. You're not 12 00:00:52,560 --> 00:00:55,960 Speaker 1: alone in that prayer. Today we're talking about praying through 13 00:00:56,120 --> 00:01:00,840 Speaker 1: fear and anxiety when it just won't let go. And 14 00:01:00,920 --> 00:01:03,800 Speaker 1: so before we dive in, I wanted to read this 15 00:01:03,920 --> 00:01:07,360 Speaker 1: prayer to you that I had written a while ago, 16 00:01:07,360 --> 00:01:12,360 Speaker 1: many years, a prayer to calm anxiety. Dear Father, in 17 00:01:12,440 --> 00:01:16,280 Speaker 1: this space of total anxiety, I'm praying to you, the 18 00:01:16,319 --> 00:01:20,320 Speaker 1: God of all Jesus, I need you so much. The 19 00:01:20,319 --> 00:01:23,520 Speaker 1: weight of this world consumes my heart and my spirit 20 00:01:23,680 --> 00:01:28,080 Speaker 1: is confused. I know you are not the God of confusion. 21 00:01:28,240 --> 00:01:32,320 Speaker 1: You are the God of order, Love, and peace. I 22 00:01:32,400 --> 00:01:36,560 Speaker 1: pray you would restore order right now in me. May 23 00:01:36,600 --> 00:01:39,760 Speaker 1: my mind perceive that you make me sound. May my 24 00:01:39,959 --> 00:01:43,840 Speaker 1: soul receive that you give me strength. May my heart 25 00:01:43,920 --> 00:01:47,240 Speaker 1: believe that you show me love. Thank you for the 26 00:01:47,280 --> 00:01:49,320 Speaker 1: relief of an unburdened heart. 27 00:01:49,440 --> 00:01:53,480 Speaker 2: Amen. And this is a prayer to calm anxiety. You 28 00:01:53,640 --> 00:01:58,120 Speaker 2: can find it in our pack of prayer cards thirty 29 00:01:58,160 --> 00:02:01,400 Speaker 2: one Days of Prayers for the Heart, as well as 30 00:02:01,440 --> 00:02:05,000 Speaker 2: we have thirty one Days of Prayers for a Mom's Heart, 31 00:02:06,040 --> 00:02:08,959 Speaker 2: and either of those you can find at Rachelwoojoe dot 32 00:02:08,960 --> 00:02:14,040 Speaker 2: com slash shop. I wanted to dive right into our 33 00:02:14,160 --> 00:02:18,880 Speaker 2: first segment, which is usually Hot Questions in Heartspaces, where 34 00:02:18,919 --> 00:02:22,360 Speaker 2: I answer the questions that people DM or email to me. 35 00:02:22,639 --> 00:02:27,040 Speaker 2: And this week, why do I still feel anxious after 36 00:02:27,160 --> 00:02:30,000 Speaker 2: praying about my fears? And this is a great question. 37 00:02:30,040 --> 00:02:32,880 Speaker 2: It's one of the most common questions I get. There 38 00:02:32,919 --> 00:02:36,560 Speaker 2: is a misunderstanding about what prayer does to our emotions. 39 00:02:36,960 --> 00:02:39,600 Speaker 2: I think most people feel like they should feel an 40 00:02:39,639 --> 00:02:44,880 Speaker 2: immediate peace, and I'll be honest, prayer is not a 41 00:02:45,080 --> 00:02:49,680 Speaker 2: magic eraser for our emotions. We are in human bodies 42 00:02:49,720 --> 00:02:54,160 Speaker 2: with human minds and souls. Prayer doesn't always remove the 43 00:02:54,160 --> 00:02:58,040 Speaker 2: fear that we have, but hopefully what it should be 44 00:02:58,120 --> 00:03:01,440 Speaker 2: doing is give us the courage to move through it. 45 00:03:02,000 --> 00:03:04,920 Speaker 2: If you pay close attention to the scripture, Philippians four 46 00:03:05,080 --> 00:03:09,480 Speaker 2: six and seven says this, do not be anxious about anything, 47 00:03:09,560 --> 00:03:13,880 Speaker 2: but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, 48 00:03:13,960 --> 00:03:17,480 Speaker 2: present your requests to God, and the peace of God, 49 00:03:17,520 --> 00:03:22,160 Speaker 2: which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds 50 00:03:22,160 --> 00:03:25,200 Speaker 2: in Christ Jesus and I love that it says it 51 00:03:25,240 --> 00:03:28,519 Speaker 2: will guard your hearts and minds because it doesn't mean 52 00:03:28,520 --> 00:03:33,240 Speaker 2: that the circumstances have necessarily changed or that the situation 53 00:03:33,480 --> 00:03:37,320 Speaker 2: has disappeared. It just means that God's peace will be 54 00:03:37,480 --> 00:03:42,760 Speaker 2: present in the midst of that Prayer changes our positioning 55 00:03:42,800 --> 00:03:45,520 Speaker 2: in the battle, It may not change the battle itself. 56 00:03:45,920 --> 00:03:49,920 Speaker 2: And when we pray God is fighting with us, we 57 00:03:50,040 --> 00:03:55,560 Speaker 2: recognize that His presence is there. Anxiety after prayer isn't 58 00:03:55,560 --> 00:03:58,080 Speaker 2: a sign of weak faith. And I want to say 59 00:03:58,080 --> 00:04:00,360 Speaker 2: that again to make sure you get it. Anxiety piety 60 00:04:00,680 --> 00:04:06,600 Speaker 2: after praying is not a sign of weak faith. It's 61 00:04:06,640 --> 00:04:09,760 Speaker 2: a sign that we're in a genuine battle, that it's 62 00:04:09,840 --> 00:04:15,560 Speaker 2: real that it's true, and when that anxiety persists, I 63 00:04:15,600 --> 00:04:19,280 Speaker 2: want to encourage you to also persist in praying. Don't 64 00:04:19,279 --> 00:04:24,839 Speaker 2: stop just because you don't feel immediate relief, and combine 65 00:04:25,880 --> 00:04:30,919 Speaker 2: your prayer tools. So I would say, combine your prayer, 66 00:04:31,640 --> 00:04:36,160 Speaker 2: your therapy, your boundaries, your community, all of your tools 67 00:04:36,279 --> 00:04:41,560 Speaker 2: that accompany you in trusting God and learning to trust 68 00:04:41,600 --> 00:04:46,920 Speaker 2: others deep deeper. Remember that feelings often fall behind or 69 00:04:47,040 --> 00:04:52,080 Speaker 2: lag behind the truth, and what's true is not necessarily 70 00:04:52,160 --> 00:04:55,000 Speaker 2: tied to how we feel about something. So when we 71 00:04:55,160 --> 00:04:59,560 Speaker 2: pray scripture back to God, when we're praying his promises, 72 00:05:00,240 --> 00:05:03,719 Speaker 2: then we know that God is with us and that 73 00:05:03,800 --> 00:05:07,400 Speaker 2: He is ministering to us as presence is there. I'm 74 00:05:07,400 --> 00:05:11,479 Speaker 2: thankful that there are psalms that are full of anxiety. 75 00:05:11,600 --> 00:05:14,839 Speaker 2: They're full of it, and it's because we're working on 76 00:05:14,960 --> 00:05:20,360 Speaker 2: deepening a trust. Fear is a battle best fought on 77 00:05:20,360 --> 00:05:23,039 Speaker 2: our knees, and some battles require us to turn to 78 00:05:23,080 --> 00:05:26,200 Speaker 2: our knees time and time. Again, thank you so much 79 00:05:26,240 --> 00:05:30,240 Speaker 2: for listening in to this segment of hard questions, and 80 00:05:30,360 --> 00:05:33,240 Speaker 2: we'll be right back after this word from our sponsors. 81 00:05:34,800 --> 00:05:37,520 Speaker 2: Thank you for listening in to that word from our sponsors, 82 00:05:37,640 --> 00:05:40,479 Speaker 2: and now for this week's segment of Pray More Worry 83 00:05:40,600 --> 00:05:45,919 Speaker 2: Less Encouragement, we're reiterating on the principle that prayer doesn't 84 00:05:46,000 --> 00:05:50,039 Speaker 2: always remove fear, but it gives us the courage to 85 00:05:50,200 --> 00:05:54,520 Speaker 2: move through it. We have a lot of examples of this, 86 00:05:54,680 --> 00:05:58,320 Speaker 2: but one that came to mind very quickly is Jesus 87 00:05:58,320 --> 00:06:01,279 Speaker 2: in the garden of the Castemani. He was praying so 88 00:06:01,400 --> 00:06:08,320 Speaker 2: intensely that he sweat drops of blood, and this was 89 00:06:08,360 --> 00:06:11,600 Speaker 2: how he was receiving the courage to face what lie ahead. 90 00:06:12,160 --> 00:06:15,080 Speaker 2: In Luke twenty two forty three, it says an angel 91 00:06:15,200 --> 00:06:19,039 Speaker 2: came to minister to him and to strengthen him, and 92 00:06:19,160 --> 00:06:21,760 Speaker 2: I believe that that's one of the reasons why we 93 00:06:21,839 --> 00:06:25,760 Speaker 2: need to be willing vessels to minister to others and 94 00:06:25,800 --> 00:06:29,640 Speaker 2: to help them receive strength from our strength. God's answer 95 00:06:29,960 --> 00:06:35,320 Speaker 2: to our fearful prayers is usually his presence and not 96 00:06:35,560 --> 00:06:40,040 Speaker 2: necessarily a change in our circumstances, because courage isn't the 97 00:06:40,200 --> 00:06:45,880 Speaker 2: absence of fear, it's trusting God despite the fear. So 98 00:06:46,240 --> 00:06:49,640 Speaker 2: maybe some practical steps for you would be to say 99 00:06:49,720 --> 00:06:53,240 Speaker 2: that fear or that anxiety out loud, actually name it 100 00:06:53,400 --> 00:06:56,760 Speaker 2: and ask God for the courage to face it and 101 00:06:56,839 --> 00:07:00,320 Speaker 2: realize what it is. And look where God, God is 102 00:07:00,360 --> 00:07:03,479 Speaker 2: strengthening you. Look at your community, look at what you're 103 00:07:03,480 --> 00:07:07,159 Speaker 2: surrounding yourself with, and remember how God has met you 104 00:07:07,240 --> 00:07:10,800 Speaker 2: in the past. So one of the scriptures that came 105 00:07:10,840 --> 00:07:13,720 Speaker 2: to mind again for this second Timothy one seven, and 106 00:07:13,760 --> 00:07:16,679 Speaker 2: you've heard me share it on the podcast before. God 107 00:07:16,760 --> 00:07:20,679 Speaker 2: has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, 108 00:07:20,920 --> 00:07:23,800 Speaker 2: and of love and of a sound mind. I think 109 00:07:23,880 --> 00:07:27,320 Speaker 2: some of our greatest spiritual growth happens when we're learning 110 00:07:27,360 --> 00:07:30,480 Speaker 2: to pray in spite of the fear, rather than waiting 111 00:07:30,560 --> 00:07:34,680 Speaker 2: for it to disappear before we move forward. I wanted 112 00:07:34,720 --> 00:07:37,800 Speaker 2: to share this very personal answer prayer story with you. 113 00:07:38,640 --> 00:07:41,760 Speaker 2: It's about my daughter Tris. Trist's our twenty two year 114 00:07:41,800 --> 00:07:45,480 Speaker 2: old and a few years ago she was really facing 115 00:07:45,960 --> 00:07:51,160 Speaker 2: a lot of health problems, a crisis that actually kept 116 00:07:51,160 --> 00:07:55,480 Speaker 2: her out of school, and she had a whole year 117 00:07:55,640 --> 00:07:59,280 Speaker 2: that she was out while her friends were in college 118 00:07:59,360 --> 00:08:03,200 Speaker 2: and what's to be thriving situations. She was sitting out 119 00:08:03,200 --> 00:08:07,920 Speaker 2: a year while others felt stuck, and I think her 120 00:08:08,000 --> 00:08:10,240 Speaker 2: fear during that time was that she'd never be able 121 00:08:10,280 --> 00:08:13,600 Speaker 2: to get through college at all, and she'd pray what 122 00:08:13,640 --> 00:08:16,480 Speaker 2: most of us would pray. She prayed for healing, and 123 00:08:16,520 --> 00:08:18,720 Speaker 2: I was praying for healing too. I was praying for 124 00:08:18,840 --> 00:08:22,800 Speaker 2: answers for her diagnosis, but I was also praying for healing. 125 00:08:23,440 --> 00:08:26,280 Speaker 2: And she wanted her health restored, and she wanted to 126 00:08:26,360 --> 00:08:30,080 Speaker 2: have a normal college experience. And she kept taking that 127 00:08:30,280 --> 00:08:34,560 Speaker 2: prayer request to God honestly and desperately asking the Lord 128 00:08:34,600 --> 00:08:38,960 Speaker 2: to heal her. But God didn't fully heal her, and 129 00:08:39,120 --> 00:08:43,160 Speaker 2: still hasn't fully healed her. What he has provided is 130 00:08:43,160 --> 00:08:47,800 Speaker 2: a way forward. She enrolled in Liberty University online. That 131 00:08:47,960 --> 00:08:52,400 Speaker 2: second year of her peers being in school was her first, 132 00:08:52,559 --> 00:08:55,839 Speaker 2: and God opened the door. It wasn't the prayer that 133 00:08:55,920 --> 00:08:59,120 Speaker 2: she was praying necessarily, but what it was an answer. 134 00:08:59,840 --> 00:09:04,680 Speaker 2: I think. What's making me really so just so ecstatic 135 00:09:04,760 --> 00:09:07,720 Speaker 2: about this answer to prayer right now is that last 136 00:09:07,720 --> 00:09:12,120 Speaker 2: week she opened her online status computer on her account 137 00:09:12,280 --> 00:09:16,200 Speaker 2: at Liberty University and she is now officially a senior, 138 00:09:16,840 --> 00:09:20,760 Speaker 2: just plugging through little by little, she is down to 139 00:09:20,840 --> 00:09:24,800 Speaker 2: her last year of her degree. It's pretty amazing. She 140 00:09:24,960 --> 00:09:28,840 Speaker 2: continued to move forward even though the circumstances weren't what 141 00:09:29,000 --> 00:09:33,120 Speaker 2: she wanted and had not changed. And I asked her 142 00:09:33,160 --> 00:09:35,440 Speaker 2: about this earlier today if I could share it with you, 143 00:09:35,520 --> 00:09:40,200 Speaker 2: and she said yes, And she mentioned that her she 144 00:09:40,240 --> 00:09:42,560 Speaker 2: did not get what she wanted and still has not, 145 00:09:42,720 --> 00:09:46,840 Speaker 2: which is full healing, but she has received the strength 146 00:09:46,960 --> 00:09:51,040 Speaker 2: to keep going. She said, God met her and helped 147 00:09:51,040 --> 00:09:53,720 Speaker 2: her on a day to day basis. And I just 148 00:09:53,760 --> 00:09:56,360 Speaker 2: thought that might be encouraging for some of you that 149 00:09:56,440 --> 00:09:59,599 Speaker 2: she's learned to rely on God, not just when he 150 00:10:00,240 --> 00:10:03,160 Speaker 2: ers the way she wants him to, but when he 151 00:10:03,280 --> 00:10:06,880 Speaker 2: provides a different path that maybe she hadn't planned for. 152 00:10:07,000 --> 00:10:10,960 Speaker 2: And look how far she's come. It's amazing. She was 153 00:10:11,000 --> 00:10:14,920 Speaker 2: praying for healing, but God gave her courage to keep going. 154 00:10:15,440 --> 00:10:20,000 Speaker 2: And prayer didn't remove that challenge from her life, but 155 00:10:20,160 --> 00:10:22,559 Speaker 2: it did give her the strength to walk through it. 156 00:10:22,600 --> 00:10:27,079 Speaker 2: And I often tell people in their grief a sidebar 157 00:10:27,480 --> 00:10:31,000 Speaker 2: is you know, in losing a child, I have known 158 00:10:31,360 --> 00:10:35,880 Speaker 2: intense pain and it does not get any easier, but 159 00:10:36,520 --> 00:10:41,240 Speaker 2: you can grow stronger little by little. That is the difference. 160 00:10:41,320 --> 00:10:44,360 Speaker 2: If you're listening today and you're praying for something that 161 00:10:44,440 --> 00:10:49,160 Speaker 2: just hasn't happened yet, or if you're still anxious you 162 00:10:49,280 --> 00:10:53,480 Speaker 2: are waiting on healing. If your circumstances haven't changed, just 163 00:10:53,600 --> 00:10:57,840 Speaker 2: remember that God maybe making a path forward even if 164 00:10:57,880 --> 00:11:01,520 Speaker 2: he hasn't removed the obstacle, and we have to be 165 00:11:01,600 --> 00:11:05,120 Speaker 2: willing to walk and step with him, whether that's swerving 166 00:11:05,160 --> 00:11:10,840 Speaker 2: around that obstacle or climbing over it. Sometimes his daily 167 00:11:10,920 --> 00:11:15,920 Speaker 2: provision of strength and courage is the true miracle. If 168 00:11:15,960 --> 00:11:20,600 Speaker 2: you're in a season where anxiety feels overwhelming, then I 169 00:11:20,720 --> 00:11:24,280 Speaker 2: believe our prayer card packs can help you find the 170 00:11:24,320 --> 00:11:27,600 Speaker 2: strength when you can't find your own, and I shared 171 00:11:27,800 --> 00:11:30,559 Speaker 2: the prayer for anxiety at the beginning of this podcast. 172 00:11:30,720 --> 00:11:34,880 Speaker 2: Those prayer cards are available at Rachelwojo dot com, Forward 173 00:11:34,920 --> 00:11:39,160 Speaker 2: slash Shop. Also for the moms listening, I created the 174 00:11:39,200 --> 00:11:42,520 Speaker 2: thirty one Prayers for a Mom's Heart specifically for you, 175 00:11:42,679 --> 00:11:45,959 Speaker 2: no matter the age or stage of your child, because 176 00:11:46,360 --> 00:11:49,840 Speaker 2: sometimes the heaviest fears that we carry aren't even our own, 177 00:11:49,920 --> 00:11:53,080 Speaker 2: they're for those that we love. And you'll find those 178 00:11:53,160 --> 00:11:57,040 Speaker 2: prayer cards at Rachelwojo dot com, Forward slash Shop. Thank 179 00:11:57,080 --> 00:12:00,240 Speaker 2: you for joining me on the Untangling Prayer Podcast. I 180 00:12:00,360 --> 00:12:05,720 Speaker 2: pray that today's episode gives you encouragement to continue walking 181 00:12:05,760 --> 00:12:08,520 Speaker 2: with the Lord in prayer. He doesn't ask us to 182 00:12:08,559 --> 00:12:12,920 Speaker 2: have perfect courage. He just asks us to take our 183 00:12:13,440 --> 00:12:17,400 Speaker 2: fears and our cares to him until next time. Remember, 184 00:12:18,040 --> 00:12:21,760 Speaker 2: God sees you, he hears you, and he knows you 185 00:12:21,840 --> 00:12:27,600 Speaker 2: our needs. Thanks for joining me on the Untangling Prayer Podcast. 186 00:12:28,000 --> 00:12:31,400 Speaker 2: If this episode resonated with you, share it with someone 187 00:12:31,480 --> 00:12:34,320 Speaker 2: who could use a little hope, and be sure to 188 00:12:34,440 --> 00:12:39,320 Speaker 2: subscribe for more. Until next time, keep seeking, keep trusting, 189 00:12:39,880 --> 00:12:41,400 Speaker 2: and keep praying.