Prayer for Anxiety and Worry
An Original Prayer
Lord, my mind is racing and I don’t know how to make it stop. You said do not be anxious about tomorrow, but tomorrow is loud in me right now.
I don’t ask You to take the worry away all at once. I ask You to sit with me in it. Steady what I cannot steady myself. Give me enough peace for this hour, and trust that You will give me enough for the next one when it comes.
I am not asking to see the whole road. Just the next step. Amen.
About this prayer
This original Catholic prayer was written for the ordinary moments when anxiety and worry show up uninvited. It draws on two familiar passages: St. Paul’s instruction to “have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God” (Philippians 4:6), and Christ’s own words not to worry about tomorrow, since today has troubles enough of its own (Matthew 6:34).
Anxiety rarely responds to being told to simply stop. Experiencing it does not mean you have failed at prayer or that your faith is not strong enough. Prayer gives us a place to bring that fear honestly before God rather than pretending it is not there.
This prayer does not ask for every worry to disappear at once. It asks for God’s presence in the middle of it, enough peace for the present moment, and the grace to take the next step.
Scripture to pray with
- Philippians 4:6-7 — Bring your worries and needs to God in prayer, trusting in the peace He gives.
- Matthew 6:34 — Jesus calls us back from tomorrow’s worries to the grace available today.
- 1 Peter 5:7 — Place your anxieties in God’s hands because He cares for you.
When to pray it
In the actual moment your chest tightens, before a hard conversation, in the middle of a sleepless night, or anytime your mind is looping faster than you can slow it down.