Vietnam Evangelical Covenant Church – “There is no fear in love, but perfect love drives out fear, because fear involves punishment. The one who fears has not been perfected in love.” (1 John 4:18)
Fear can paralyze our faith and our prayers. But Scripture teaches that God has not given us a spirit of fear. Here are five ways to pray to defeat fear using God’s own Word. Scripture quotations are from the Berean Standard Bible (BSB).
5 Ways to Pray to Defeat Fear
Each one comes with Bible verses you can use as your own prayers.
When my husband, Xylon, was diagnosed with cancer, there was so much I didn’t know. We never imagined spending the first two years of our marriage fighting illness, as he went through chemotherapy and then a bone marrow transplant. The biggest thing I didn’t know was how the fear of cancer would linger even after the doctors declared no evidence of disease, or how the smallest related things would frighten me: a cold, a stomachache, needles and tubes… Surely all of us have experienced fears like this, but for my husband and me it became a battle not to be defeated by fear of recurrence.
In the past I have fought fears of losing a job or a family member being in a car accident, fears of public speaking or failure. Now I know what to do when I face fear. Instead of letting it control me, I fight back. Scripture says, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and self-control” (2 Timothy 1:7). As soon as fear creeps in, I remind myself that it does not come from God, because God is love and there is no fear in love (1 John 4:18), and then I fight fear with these five actions:
1. Pray with others
Fear keeps me silent. It tells me that if I say it out loud, what I fear will come true, so I hold it in and let it grow until there is room for nothing else.
Something keeps us from sharing our fears because we imagine that saying them aloud will make the problem bigger and worse. But the truth is that when I have the courage to share my fears with others and ask them to pray with me, the fear shrinks and fades away.
2. Pray Scripture
I often don’t know what to pray when I am afraid. When that happens, I find praying the words of Scripture very effective. I have also noticed that reading and meditating on God’s Word regularly keeps fear at bay. I mark verses and use them when I need them. You can start with these:
“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me” (Psalm 23:4)
“When I am afraid, I put my trust in You” (Psalm 56:3)
“When anxiety overwhelms me, Your consolation delights my soul” (Psalm 94:19)
“Say to those with anxious hearts: “Be strong, do not fear! Behold, your God will come with vengeance. With divine retribution He will come to save you.”” (Isaiah 35:4)
“Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you; I will surely help you; I will uphold you with My right hand of righteousness” (Isaiah 41:10)
3. Remember that God is bigger than our fears
I once struggled with an anxiety disorder (strange or excessive fears about something). A psychologist explained to me that anxiety is what the mind produces when someone fears too many unpredictable things. During that time, I read a wise writer who said that the fear of God leads to life, where we can rest untroubled. That meant a lot to me because it is Scripture:
“The fear of the LORD leads to life, that one may rest content, without visitation from harm” (Proverbs 19:23)
I want my fear of God to be greater than any other fear. Fearing God here does not mean cowering in a corner begging Him to hold back His wrath; it means worshiping Him as Creator and Redeemer with all our hearts. Our God is greater than anything else. When we focus on Him, the things we fear become smaller.
4. Remember we belong to God
I have realized that many times I am afraid because I forget I am God’s precious creation:
“But now, this is what the LORD says—He who created you, O Jacob, and He who formed you, O Israel: “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; you are Mine!”” (Isaiah 43:1)
Every time I am afraid, I pray, “Father, I am Yours,” whether I am going to get my husband’s test results or waking in the middle of the night worried about work or finances. As I pray, I remember who God is: He is mighty, good, rich in kindness and mercy. That is when I surrender completely to Him; I believe I live in His forgiveness and am loved by Him.
5. Sing in worship
Sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night afraid. It has happened since I was a child. My parents taught me to sing praise to God when I woke up like that. In recent years, there were many times my husband had a high fever and I stayed up beside him watching to make sure he was still breathing, and in those moments I sang in worship to God.
Author Holley Gerth describes worship as one of the ways we fight our enemy. Worship is not just pretty songs; it is a weapon. Second Chronicles 20 tells the story of Jehoshaphat going into battle with worship as his main weapon. He led an army of people anxious about the enemy they faced. Jehoshaphat consulted the people, prayed and appointed singers to go ahead of the army, praising God:
“Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; His loving devotion endures forever” (1 Chronicles 16:34)
Singing may seem pointless in the middle of a battle, but worship is more than singing. Worship invites God to fight for us. When I sing, I am fighting the enemy and inviting God to fill me with His love and power. When I worship, I remind myself that in every battle of my life God is with me and fights for me.
Practicing Prayer That Defeats Fear
Write down your biggest fear right now, then choose one verse from this article to pray over that fear every day. Praying to defeat fear is not denying your feelings, but placing them under God’s promises.
You can also ask a godly friend to pray with you. When two or three agree in prayer, faith is strengthened and fear no longer weighs as heavily.
You may also like: When I Am Afraid and 15 Bible Verses About Anxiety.
Prayer
Lord, thank You that You have not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, love and self-control. When fear comes, teach us to pray Your Word and receive Your peace. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
Article: Tuyết Mai
Adapted from: iBelieve.com
Read more articles in Devotions, or find a church near you on our Locations page. Contact the church office: 0942 248 688 (Zalo available).
