1 00:00:02,680 --> 00:00:03,520 Speaker 1: Life Audio. 2 00:00:07,880 --> 00:00:12,040 Speaker 2: Welcome to the Untangling Prayer Podcast. I'm Rachel Wojo, and 3 00:00:12,200 --> 00:00:17,200 Speaker 2: each week we unravel life's notts through prayer. Here you'll 4 00:00:17,239 --> 00:00:21,360 Speaker 2: find practical wisdom and prayer encouragement to guide you through 5 00:00:21,400 --> 00:00:26,439 Speaker 2: life's hardest seasons. Join me as we untangle life's messes together, 6 00:00:27,120 --> 00:00:28,760 Speaker 2: one prayer at a time. 7 00:00:33,159 --> 00:00:37,800 Speaker 1: Hangling Prayer Podcast. I'm Rachel, and I'm so glad you're here. 8 00:00:38,760 --> 00:00:42,280 Speaker 1: I want to start by asking you something and you 9 00:00:42,520 --> 00:00:45,960 Speaker 1: already know the answer if it's you, But is there 10 00:00:46,200 --> 00:00:50,280 Speaker 1: a fear that waits until dark to show up? You're 11 00:00:50,320 --> 00:00:55,080 Speaker 1: fine all day, you're busy, you're handling things, you can function, 12 00:00:55,520 --> 00:00:58,319 Speaker 1: and then you turn off the light and your head 13 00:00:58,400 --> 00:01:02,440 Speaker 1: hits the pillow and the same thought you outran all 14 00:01:02,600 --> 00:01:06,319 Speaker 1: day is suddenly standing right there in the room with you, 15 00:01:06,760 --> 00:01:11,960 Speaker 1: bigger and louder than it ever was at noon. If 16 00:01:11,959 --> 00:01:16,480 Speaker 1: that's you, this episode is for you. Today. We're talking 17 00:01:16,520 --> 00:01:20,279 Speaker 1: about how to pray when fear and anxiety get loud, 18 00:01:20,360 --> 00:01:25,160 Speaker 1: and especially how to pray at night when everything feels 19 00:01:25,200 --> 00:01:29,280 Speaker 1: worse and the morning feels a long way off. We're 20 00:01:29,319 --> 00:01:31,760 Speaker 1: going to look at a story that most of us 21 00:01:31,840 --> 00:01:35,920 Speaker 1: are familiar with. Daniel in the lions Den. But I 22 00:01:36,000 --> 00:01:38,560 Speaker 1: want to show you a person in that story that 23 00:01:39,120 --> 00:01:43,119 Speaker 1: you may have not really looked at before, because there's 24 00:01:43,160 --> 00:01:47,160 Speaker 1: somebody in Daniel chapter six who didn't sleep at all 25 00:01:47,360 --> 00:01:51,720 Speaker 1: at night and it wasn't Daniel. So let's get into it. 26 00:01:51,840 --> 00:01:55,240 Speaker 1: But before we do, I want to be sure you 27 00:01:55,480 --> 00:01:59,640 Speaker 1: know about my free guide. I created this just for 28 00:01:59,760 --> 00:02:07,000 Speaker 1: you OO. It is the Prey Through It battle Plan, 29 00:02:07,800 --> 00:02:12,120 Speaker 1: and this free guide allows you to take that fear 30 00:02:12,240 --> 00:02:15,760 Speaker 1: that's running loose and pray it down. You name it, 31 00:02:16,240 --> 00:02:18,800 Speaker 1: you find the truth that answers it, and you hand 32 00:02:18,840 --> 00:02:22,040 Speaker 1: it to God instead of holding it by yourself. At 33 00:02:22,080 --> 00:02:25,840 Speaker 1: two am, you can grab it for free at Battleprayers 34 00:02:25,880 --> 00:02:28,760 Speaker 1: dot com and I'll leave the link in the show 35 00:02:28,840 --> 00:02:32,760 Speaker 1: notes for you. And now for this week's segment of 36 00:02:32,960 --> 00:02:37,840 Speaker 1: Questions in Hard Spaces, where I answer the hard questions 37 00:02:38,040 --> 00:02:43,480 Speaker 1: about prayer that people email or DM me. So this 38 00:02:43,560 --> 00:02:47,600 Speaker 1: week's question comes in a lot of different forms. Sometimes 39 00:02:47,680 --> 00:02:51,359 Speaker 1: people even text me a question very similar to this, 40 00:02:51,560 --> 00:02:56,359 Speaker 1: But the question, the way one listener read it or 41 00:02:56,639 --> 00:03:00,360 Speaker 1: sent it is why do I still feel anxious after 42 00:03:00,400 --> 00:03:04,320 Speaker 1: I pray? Especially at night? Am I doing something wrong? 43 00:03:04,880 --> 00:03:08,480 Speaker 1: Is my faith week? And the first thing I really 44 00:03:08,520 --> 00:03:11,320 Speaker 1: want you to hear me about this is that feeling 45 00:03:11,480 --> 00:03:15,160 Speaker 1: anxious after you pray is not a sign that you've 46 00:03:15,200 --> 00:03:19,360 Speaker 1: failed or that something is broken in your faith. Prayer 47 00:03:19,560 --> 00:03:23,120 Speaker 1: is not an automatic switch for your nervous system. You 48 00:03:23,240 --> 00:03:27,240 Speaker 1: can genuinely hands something to God, but your body takes 49 00:03:27,280 --> 00:03:30,920 Speaker 1: a while to catch up to that sometimes. And it's 50 00:03:31,040 --> 00:03:36,320 Speaker 1: just an exercise in belief. It's having a human body 51 00:03:36,360 --> 00:03:39,520 Speaker 1: with a body and a brain that maybe has been 52 00:03:39,560 --> 00:03:42,560 Speaker 1: on high alert all day. So why does it get 53 00:03:42,600 --> 00:03:46,320 Speaker 1: so much worse at night? Well, let's look at some 54 00:03:46,480 --> 00:03:50,600 Speaker 1: honest reasons. Number one, there's nothing left to distract you, right, 55 00:03:50,680 --> 00:03:54,120 Speaker 1: we're so good at distractions. There are no tasks, there's 56 00:03:54,160 --> 00:03:57,480 Speaker 1: no one to talk to. It's just you and the thought, 57 00:03:57,840 --> 00:04:01,200 Speaker 1: and the thought has your full attention. And all the 58 00:04:01,200 --> 00:04:04,120 Speaker 1: things that comfort us during the day, being able to 59 00:04:04,160 --> 00:04:07,560 Speaker 1: do something about it, or call someone or text someone, 60 00:04:08,200 --> 00:04:11,480 Speaker 1: make a plan, every one of those is out of 61 00:04:11,520 --> 00:04:14,520 Speaker 1: reach at two am. So you're lying there holding that 62 00:04:14,640 --> 00:04:17,920 Speaker 1: fear with empty hands and nothing to do with it. 63 00:04:18,680 --> 00:04:21,960 Speaker 1: I want you to hold onto that picture of the 64 00:04:22,080 --> 00:04:26,440 Speaker 1: empty hands, because that's where we're headed when we get 65 00:04:26,520 --> 00:04:32,520 Speaker 1: to Daniel. Before that, let me answer the practical part 66 00:04:32,640 --> 00:04:36,120 Speaker 1: of the question, which is what do you actually do 67 00:04:36,520 --> 00:04:39,520 Speaker 1: in that moment when you're struggling. The biggest thing I 68 00:04:39,560 --> 00:04:43,040 Speaker 1: could tell you is don't wait until you feel calm 69 00:04:43,120 --> 00:04:46,920 Speaker 1: to pray. Pray while you're still shaking. You don't need 70 00:04:46,960 --> 00:04:50,640 Speaker 1: to sell yourself down first and then come to God 71 00:04:50,800 --> 00:04:53,840 Speaker 1: after you have yourself together. Just come to Him like 72 00:04:53,920 --> 00:04:56,880 Speaker 1: you are. And you hear me say that often, but 73 00:04:57,080 --> 00:05:04,640 Speaker 1: it's true. That is prayer and God hears it at night. 74 00:05:04,920 --> 00:05:09,520 Speaker 1: The goal is not to argue yourself out of the fear. 75 00:05:10,120 --> 00:05:12,599 Speaker 1: You are probably not going to win a debate with 76 00:05:12,680 --> 00:05:16,600 Speaker 1: your own anxiety at two in the morning, right, because 77 00:05:16,920 --> 00:05:20,880 Speaker 1: that was never the assignment. The goal is just to 78 00:05:20,960 --> 00:05:24,640 Speaker 1: not be alone with that. You're taking the fear out 79 00:05:24,680 --> 00:05:27,480 Speaker 1: of that loop in your head and moving it into 80 00:05:27,520 --> 00:05:30,799 Speaker 1: a conversation with the Lord. He's the one who's awake 81 00:05:30,839 --> 00:05:35,080 Speaker 1: all night anyway, right, So you stop being alone with it, 82 00:05:35,640 --> 00:05:39,440 Speaker 1: and that changes, That changes more than you would think. 83 00:05:40,480 --> 00:05:43,760 Speaker 1: I hope this has been helpful. I want to pause 84 00:05:43,839 --> 00:05:47,599 Speaker 1: for a moment. Thanks for listening into this segment of 85 00:05:47,720 --> 00:05:51,320 Speaker 1: questions in heart spaces. We'll be right back after this 86 00:05:51,440 --> 00:05:56,120 Speaker 1: brief word from our sponsors. Thank you for allowing that 87 00:05:56,160 --> 00:05:59,359 Speaker 1: word from our sponsors. And now for this week's segment 88 00:06:00,080 --> 00:06:04,880 Speaker 1: of Pray More wary less encouragement. Today's principle is one 89 00:06:04,880 --> 00:06:07,279 Speaker 1: that I want you to really sit with for a moment. 90 00:06:07,960 --> 00:06:11,200 Speaker 1: The night is where you wait, but it is not 91 00:06:11,480 --> 00:06:15,600 Speaker 1: where God starts his work. He's already at work in 92 00:06:15,640 --> 00:06:18,360 Speaker 1: the dark. And let me show you what I mean 93 00:06:18,440 --> 00:06:22,559 Speaker 1: by that. We're going to say right in Daniel, chapter six, 94 00:06:23,360 --> 00:06:28,400 Speaker 1: and you probably know the heart of this story. You've 95 00:06:28,440 --> 00:06:32,040 Speaker 1: probably heard it before. But Daniel's enemies are jealous of him, 96 00:06:32,600 --> 00:06:36,520 Speaker 1: so they trick King Darius into signing a law that says, 97 00:06:36,560 --> 00:06:39,479 Speaker 1: for the next month thirty days, anyone who prays to 98 00:06:39,640 --> 00:06:42,640 Speaker 1: anyone other than the king is going to be thrown 99 00:06:42,800 --> 00:06:46,400 Speaker 1: into the lion's den. And Daniel goes home and prays 100 00:06:46,400 --> 00:06:50,480 Speaker 1: to God exactly like he always has windows open three 101 00:06:50,560 --> 00:06:54,159 Speaker 1: times a day, not hiding at any of it. He 102 00:06:54,279 --> 00:06:57,520 Speaker 1: turns his face toward Jerusalem. But the law is the law. 103 00:06:57,680 --> 00:07:02,280 Speaker 1: He is caught and thrown into the den, and God 104 00:07:02,480 --> 00:07:07,120 Speaker 1: such the mouths of the lions. Daniel is completely fine. 105 00:07:07,480 --> 00:07:09,960 Speaker 1: We know this part of the story, but I want 106 00:07:10,000 --> 00:07:12,880 Speaker 1: you to back up to the nighttime, because there's a 107 00:07:12,920 --> 00:07:17,440 Speaker 1: person that it's easy to overlook. It's not Daniel down 108 00:07:17,480 --> 00:07:21,920 Speaker 1: in the din, it's Darius up in the palace. Listen 109 00:07:22,000 --> 00:07:25,560 Speaker 1: to what Daniel six point eighteen tells us. After Daniel 110 00:07:25,640 --> 00:07:28,120 Speaker 1: is thrown in, the King goes back to his palace 111 00:07:28,520 --> 00:07:32,640 Speaker 1: and spends the whole night without eating, with no entertainments 112 00:07:32,760 --> 00:07:36,080 Speaker 1: brought to him. And then there's this line that he 113 00:07:36,280 --> 00:07:41,040 Speaker 1: could not sleep. Sleep would not come to him. Now 114 00:07:41,160 --> 00:07:44,920 Speaker 1: the verse tells us the king couldn't sleep. It doesn't 115 00:07:44,960 --> 00:07:49,280 Speaker 1: actually explain why. But if you think about it, you 116 00:07:49,320 --> 00:07:52,480 Speaker 1: don't have to guess very hard. Do you think about 117 00:07:52,520 --> 00:07:57,960 Speaker 1: who's who this is? This is a man with enormous power. 118 00:07:58,040 --> 00:08:01,600 Speaker 1: He's running an empire, and that night, every bit of 119 00:08:01,640 --> 00:08:05,200 Speaker 1: that power was stripped from him. He had signed a 120 00:08:05,320 --> 00:08:08,600 Speaker 1: law that he could not unsign. He couldn't get to Daniel. 121 00:08:09,000 --> 00:08:11,600 Speaker 1: The one thing he wanted to fix was the one 122 00:08:11,680 --> 00:08:15,920 Speaker 1: thing entirely out of his hands. So he paced all night. 123 00:08:16,480 --> 00:08:20,520 Speaker 1: And I think that's the most relatable picture of nighttime 124 00:08:20,560 --> 00:08:24,720 Speaker 1: anxiety maybe in the whole Bible. You know, Darius isn't 125 00:08:24,800 --> 00:08:28,160 Speaker 1: lying awake because he doesn't have enough faith. He's lying 126 00:08:28,240 --> 00:08:33,000 Speaker 1: awake because he is holding something that he cannot control, 127 00:08:33,640 --> 00:08:36,760 Speaker 1: and the darkness has given him nothing to do with it. 128 00:08:37,520 --> 00:08:40,800 Speaker 1: Does that sound familiar? Is that you at two in 129 00:08:40,840 --> 00:08:44,720 Speaker 1: the morning, with the diagnosis you can't change, or the 130 00:08:44,760 --> 00:08:48,920 Speaker 1: bank account you can't fix, the kid who maybe won't 131 00:08:48,920 --> 00:08:52,160 Speaker 1: call you back, and there is nothing that you can 132 00:08:52,240 --> 00:08:56,040 Speaker 1: do about any of those things until morning. You have 133 00:08:56,600 --> 00:09:00,120 Speaker 1: empty hands in the dark. And that was Darien. Yes, 134 00:09:00,760 --> 00:09:04,480 Speaker 1: maybe it's you. But the whole reason I wanted you 135 00:09:04,559 --> 00:09:08,240 Speaker 1: to see, Darius is because while he was pacing his 136 00:09:08,400 --> 00:09:13,240 Speaker 1: palace all night, unable to do anything, God had already 137 00:09:13,280 --> 00:09:16,920 Speaker 1: shut the mouths of the lions. The rescue that Darius 138 00:09:17,080 --> 00:09:20,959 Speaker 1: was so desperate for was already happening down in a 139 00:09:21,080 --> 00:09:24,760 Speaker 1: din he couldn't even see into. He just had to 140 00:09:24,800 --> 00:09:27,319 Speaker 1: wait until morning to figure it out and to find 141 00:09:27,320 --> 00:09:30,600 Speaker 1: out about it. So let me bring this home for you. 142 00:09:31,160 --> 00:09:35,040 Speaker 1: When you are awake in the dark, holding something you 143 00:09:35,120 --> 00:09:39,319 Speaker 1: cannot fix. You are like Darius, And the same thing 144 00:09:39,440 --> 00:09:41,959 Speaker 1: is true for me, and the same thing is true 145 00:09:42,000 --> 00:09:45,520 Speaker 1: for you. The same thing is true for him. God 146 00:09:45,600 --> 00:09:47,760 Speaker 1: is not waiting for the sun to come up to 147 00:09:47,840 --> 00:09:51,680 Speaker 1: work on your behalf. He's been at work the whole 148 00:09:51,760 --> 00:09:55,440 Speaker 1: time you've been lying there afraid. The morning doesn't make 149 00:09:55,480 --> 00:09:59,240 Speaker 1: it true. The morning just lets you see what God 150 00:09:59,320 --> 00:10:02,959 Speaker 1: has already been doing the whole time you are sitting 151 00:10:03,080 --> 00:10:07,520 Speaker 1: in the dark. That's how we can pray more and 152 00:10:07,640 --> 00:10:10,480 Speaker 1: worry less even at the worst hour of the night. 153 00:10:11,080 --> 00:10:14,560 Speaker 1: Not because we can see the rescue. Darius couldn't see 154 00:10:14,559 --> 00:10:19,520 Speaker 1: it either, but because God, who never sleeps, is already 155 00:10:19,640 --> 00:10:22,800 Speaker 1: down in the lion's den doing the very thing you've 156 00:10:22,840 --> 00:10:26,160 Speaker 1: been baking him for while you wait for the light 157 00:10:26,200 --> 00:10:29,480 Speaker 1: to come up so you have the chance to see it. 158 00:10:31,040 --> 00:10:34,680 Speaker 1: Thanks so much for listening in to that segment of 159 00:10:34,720 --> 00:10:37,480 Speaker 1: our podcast this week, and now for this week's answered 160 00:10:37,559 --> 00:10:40,840 Speaker 1: prayer story. I'll be honest with you, it's it's got 161 00:10:40,960 --> 00:10:44,160 Speaker 1: a small it's mine, and it might even be too 162 00:10:44,280 --> 00:10:48,920 Speaker 1: simple for you to grasp everything that I am trying 163 00:10:48,960 --> 00:10:51,200 Speaker 1: to get you to see here, But I just thought 164 00:10:51,240 --> 00:10:56,000 Speaker 1: I would share this very sensible, very simple story. When 165 00:10:56,000 --> 00:10:58,720 Speaker 1: my son was little, he went through the stretch where 166 00:10:58,840 --> 00:11:02,120 Speaker 1: he just couldn't fall asleep at night. This went on 167 00:11:02,400 --> 00:11:05,520 Speaker 1: for a while before he finally told me what was 168 00:11:05,880 --> 00:11:09,320 Speaker 1: going on, and he was convinced there might be a 169 00:11:09,440 --> 00:11:12,920 Speaker 1: monster in his closet. So I did what you do. 170 00:11:13,160 --> 00:11:15,560 Speaker 1: I turned on all the lights, and I opened the 171 00:11:15,600 --> 00:11:19,960 Speaker 1: closet door, and I showed him no monster, buddy, look 172 00:11:20,240 --> 00:11:24,720 Speaker 1: nothing in there. Showing my son that empty closet did 173 00:11:24,760 --> 00:11:28,040 Speaker 1: not put him to sleep. He still lay there awake. 174 00:11:28,880 --> 00:11:33,200 Speaker 1: There were two issues. Knowing the monster wasn't real and 175 00:11:33,320 --> 00:11:37,160 Speaker 1: actually feeling safe enough to close his eyes. These were 176 00:11:37,320 --> 00:11:41,880 Speaker 1: completely two different things. And I had handed him the proof, 177 00:11:42,400 --> 00:11:46,080 Speaker 1: but his body had to catch up with it. Praying 178 00:11:46,160 --> 00:11:50,120 Speaker 1: for him is what finally settled him down. We prayed 179 00:11:50,640 --> 00:11:53,880 Speaker 1: very simply. I don't even remember the exact words, but 180 00:11:54,000 --> 00:11:56,520 Speaker 1: right there in the dark, it was something like, help 181 00:11:56,600 --> 00:12:00,160 Speaker 1: me stop thinking about a monster in the closet, and 182 00:12:00,240 --> 00:12:05,760 Speaker 1: after a little while he fell asleep. I think about 183 00:12:05,800 --> 00:12:10,120 Speaker 1: that because it's the exact kind of prayer, the grown 184 00:12:10,200 --> 00:12:13,800 Speaker 1: up version of what we need. You've already turned on 185 00:12:13,880 --> 00:12:18,120 Speaker 1: the light, you already know in your rational mind that 186 00:12:18,240 --> 00:12:23,000 Speaker 1: the worst case probably isn't actually in the closet, but 187 00:12:23,040 --> 00:12:25,840 Speaker 1: your body is trying to catch up with it. And 188 00:12:25,920 --> 00:12:29,320 Speaker 1: it's not until you stop holding onto the fear all 189 00:12:29,360 --> 00:12:33,080 Speaker 1: by yourself and hand it over to God that you'll 190 00:12:33,120 --> 00:12:37,800 Speaker 1: find the relief the monster and the thing keeping you 191 00:12:38,000 --> 00:12:41,520 Speaker 1: up at night are really the same thing wearing different clothes, 192 00:12:42,040 --> 00:12:47,640 Speaker 1: but prayer works for both. If you're someone who lies 193 00:12:47,679 --> 00:12:51,760 Speaker 1: away holding fears you just can't turn off, please hear me. 194 00:12:52,760 --> 00:12:55,760 Speaker 1: I don't want you to push your way through another night. 195 00:12:56,400 --> 00:12:58,640 Speaker 1: And that's one of the reasons why I created the 196 00:12:58,679 --> 00:13:02,000 Speaker 1: Prey Through a Battle place in it walks you through 197 00:13:02,160 --> 00:13:06,280 Speaker 1: taking one specific prayer, the one that's loudest for you, 198 00:13:06,360 --> 00:13:10,360 Speaker 1: maybe right now, and praying it step by step so 199 00:13:10,400 --> 00:13:13,959 Speaker 1: you're not lying alone there in your own head. This 200 00:13:14,120 --> 00:13:18,880 Speaker 1: guide is completely free at battleprayers dot com and the 201 00:13:18,960 --> 00:13:21,920 Speaker 1: link is in the show notes. Go grab it before 202 00:13:21,960 --> 00:13:26,160 Speaker 1: the next time the light goes off. And if these 203 00:13:26,280 --> 00:13:30,400 Speaker 1: night battles are something you walk through pretty often, I've 204 00:13:30,440 --> 00:13:34,800 Speaker 1: actually written a whole book about exactly this, about praying 205 00:13:34,880 --> 00:13:38,640 Speaker 1: through the hard and the dark and the things that 206 00:13:38,720 --> 00:13:42,079 Speaker 1: feel so much bigger than you are. It's called Praying 207 00:13:42,120 --> 00:13:45,720 Speaker 1: Through Life's Battles, and it releases to August twenty fifth. 208 00:13:46,120 --> 00:13:47,920 Speaker 1: I'll be telling you a lot more about it in 209 00:13:47,960 --> 00:13:51,200 Speaker 1: the upcoming weeks, but it is available for pre order 210 00:13:51,320 --> 00:13:54,640 Speaker 1: right now, and if you do so, you can also 211 00:13:54,840 --> 00:13:58,959 Speaker 1: download the digital version to start reading right away, go 212 00:13:59,000 --> 00:14:03,600 Speaker 1: to battle prayers for all the details. Thanks so much 213 00:14:03,679 --> 00:14:08,560 Speaker 1: for joining me. Remember God sees you and knows your need. 214 00:14:15,280 --> 00:14:19,520 Speaker 1: Thanks for joining me on the Untangling Prayer Podcast. If 215 00:14:19,520 --> 00:14:23,000 Speaker 1: this episode resonated with you, share it with someone who 216 00:14:23,000 --> 00:14:26,479 Speaker 1: could use a little hope, and be sure to subscribe 217 00:14:26,520 --> 00:14:31,280 Speaker 1: for more. Until next time, keep seeking, keep trusting, and 218 00:14:31,560 --> 00:14:32,680 Speaker 1: keep praying.