Prayer is your direct line to God. It’s a sacred time to pour your thoughts and feelings to God and enjoy conversations with him. Philippians 4:6-7 encourages you to pray about everything to experience God’s peace: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” 

Make prayer an ongoing part of your day – not just something you turn to in stressful times of crisis. Prayer is much more than just a way to ask God for help. It’s a way to develop a deep, personal relationship with God. 

Regularly communicating with God builds trust and intimacy, which can greatly encourage you during stressful times. Think of prayer as a conversation with your loving Heavenly Father, who cares about every detail of your life. Even if you don’t always have the words to express your feelings, God understands what’s in your heart. 

Romans 8:26 assures you: “In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.” 

Even when you’re stressed so much that you feel burned out and can’t be very articulate, God will still hear you and respond with love when you can; consider praying Scripture, which involves reading and personalizing Bible verses as prayers. 

For example, you can take Isaiah 41:10, which says: “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.” 

Turn it into a personal prayer by saying something like, “God, I feel overwhelmed by stress right now, but I trust that you are with me. Strengthen me and uphold me, just as you have promised.” By praying about the stress you experience, you welcome God’s power into your life to help you manage that stress gracefully.

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