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A prayer for children living with anxiety

Father God,

You created this child I love so much,

you knit them in the womb,

you know the hairs on their head,

the dreams in their heart,

and the fears and thoughts in their mind.

Anxiety is a part of life,

but my child is struggling beyond what is typical,

and we don’t know how to help.

I want to make everything easier for them,

yet some days I feel like everything I try

only makes it worse.

There are days I blame myself,

days I blame the world,

days I blame you.

I know this is no one’s fault,

and an explanation would not

make it easier to navigate.

So I am not here asking for answers,

but I am asking for wisdom.

James 1:5 says this:

If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God,

who gives generously to all without finding fault,

and it will be given to you.

I am asking for your wisdom

to inform my choices and actions—

the way I respond and encourage them,

the words I use, or don’t.

I am asking for your wisdom

to know when, where, and how

to seek professional help.

I ask for trustworthy guides and

compassionate care for my child.

Please Lord, cover them with your love and peace,

speak to them in the quiet corners of their mind,

whisper your truth louder than the noise of the world,

clearer than the confusion and fear.

I trust you with their life, with their heart,

with their soul. Pursue them, Lord—

let your compassion be evident to them,

your grace-filled arms what they sense

holding them in their most anxious moments.

Above all, I ask for this cloud

to be taken away from them,

but even if it is not,

I trust you.

Thank you for the ways

you are shaping our hearts

even now through this struggle.

Amen.

By Alli Dahlgren
produced by Dan Gummel

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