If prayer is the cure for worry, you might be tempted to think that your prayer was ineffective. Maybe you feel that you somehow failed because your anxiety returned—perhaps as soon as you said, “Amen.”

Happens to me from time to time. I take my persistent anxiety as a signal that I need more time before the Father, reviewing all the details of my situation, telling Him how much it plagues me, and sometimes even admitting that I’m afraid He won’t handle it soon enough.

Having a deep, persistent concern for a problem is not the same as worry. Not at all!

• Worry is choosing to fret and churn instead of turning it completely over to God.
• Worry is wrestling with anxiety on your own rather than releasing it to the Father.

Big difference.

Most people whom I consider to be men and women of prayer go before God because their hearts are heavy. They tell me that nothing but continual conversation with Him brings them relief.

So, if you tend to worry a lot, here’s a solution.