Breath Prayers

This practice has been life-changing for me in my struggle with anxiety. Breath prayers allow me to release my worries to the Lord and handing my burdens (that were never meant for me to carry) into His capable, sovereign hands. At the moment, it can be darn impossible. The what-ifs can come flying at you…What if God doesn’t come through for me? What if everything falls apart? What if my worst fears are realized? We have to remember: Do we want to keep the illusion of control along with the anxiety or do we want peace? Worshiping, praying, and surrendering to Jesus will give you peace. When we re-direct our gaze to Jesus, we see and experience things from His angle. We may not understand, but we can trust. We may not have the answers, but we know God does. We can hope in the good God has planned for us. To me, this is a far better alternative than keeping the swirling storm of anxiety in my soul.

I have also found that I can make better decisions when I’m not anxious. Releasing my burdens to God allows Him to give me His wisdom, guidance, and peace. God may give me a clear direction that I wasn’t able to see when I was blinded by my fear (I have had this happen to me many times). Other times, there’s nothing I can do but wait. So I wait, choosing to receive God’s peace in the midst of it. When I wait, I don’t wait complacently, hoping that something will fall into my lap. I wait actively—that is, I wait in expectation of what God is going to do. I wait in anticipation. I am active in my pursuit of Jesus, of hearing what He has to say to me, and digging into His Word, knowing at the right time God will make it happen. I listen for His voice. I pray with prayers of thankfulness and gratitude. When I do, I experience peace instead of impatience or striving to make things work in my favor. All in all, anxiety never fixes anything, it only adds confusion. God’s peace provides us with sober-mindedness in the middle of what can be a complicated and tough circumstance.

An example of releasing my worries:

Jesus, my heart is in anguish. I am worried and burdened by many things. Lord, I don’t want to feel like this anymore. I am tired of worrying, stressing, and thinking of the worst case scenario. I feel hopeless, discouraged, and afraid. I want to fix this situation but I can’t. Oh, Lord, I have tried and it has only gotten worse. I can’t do anything but wait. The waiting is killing me. You say in your word to not be afraid or discouraged, for you are with me wherever I go (Joshua 1:9). Help me to believe that you are with me and that you are working in the midst of this. I release my anxiety to you! I release my confusion and mis-understanding. I release my pride of needing to fix this on my own. I confess that I need you, Jesus! I surrender to your leadership and your working, and humble myself before you. I ask for your peace and your joy to fill every part of me—in my mind, soul, and heart. Help me to remember your promises. Help me to believe and to trust in you in this situation. Give me your wisdom and guide me with your righteous right hand through this. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Breath Prayers In Releasing Worries

I have found this tool that has helped me tremendously in releasing my worries to the Lord: Breath Prayers. What are breath prayers, you may be asking? I find a verse or a saying that helps me visualize releasing my burdens to the Lord. I close my eyes and extend my hands out, palms up, to Jesus. I breathe in slowly through my nose and exhale through my mouth. I do this a couple more times. Then, I make it personal. As I breathe in, I breathe in a part of the scripture and exhale the rest of the verse. I do it repeatedly until I am in a place of rest and peace. An example may be: (Breathe In) Be still (Breathe out) and know that I am God. I may do this for a period of five to ten minutes, depending on the level of my anxiety. Try this! Praying Scripture over ourselves is not only a tried-and-true way to defend ourselves against spiritual attacks, but science has proven that taking in more air helps circulate much-needed oxygen to our bodies and our brains, giving us a dose of calm and tranquility. When we are stressed, we tend to hold our breath or not breathe in as fully as we would in a normal state of being. Mindfully breathing while speaking God’s Word is a great exercise—and it’s absolutely free!

Releasing My Worries Playlist