4 Ways to Fight Anxiety With Faith and Prayer

“Should I move back home to Hawaii or should I stay in San Francisco?” this question kept me up at night and then when I did fall asleep it leaked in and crowded my dreams.  

I was in my first semester of college when I faced my personal Goliath. Out of state fees were wild and the financial aid I received wasn’t enough so I couldn’t afford another semester at San Francisco State University.

My options were:

A.) Find a job and go to school part-time at SF State  (very doable)

B.) Skip a semester and stay in the Bay Area to work full-time (hated the thought of losing out on a semester but willing to do it)

C.) Go back home to my family in Hawaii. Be considered a loser but at least I wouldn’t be starving (dreading the thought of this).

Let’s be honest here, “C” was not an option. I could not go back home empty-handed. I wanted so badly to be successful and to make my parents proud of me.

I was overwhelmed and at a crossroad. What do you do when you’re at a crossroad? Studies have found that 86.5% of college students feel overwhelmed and 60.9% feel overwhelming anxiety when faced with difficult decisions about their future. These feelings, if persistent often lead to mental health problems.

She was overwhelmed and at a crossroad, but what could she do? Click To Tweet

Related Post: God, What Should I Do?

4 Ways to Fight Anxiety With Faith and Prayer

I tried to silence the anxiety with prayer. Have you tried praying? Maybe you don’t know how?  Here are a few methods I use to approach prayer and I encourage you to try it:

1.) Pray For Your Situation (and don’t give up)

I prayed and did everything I could to find a job. I didn’t want God to think I was just waiting for a miracle, I wanted to let Him know I was doing my part too so I combed through Craigslist and went out into the city every day to try and find a job.

2.) Pray Continuously

I made it a habit to pray. I had a constant conversation in my head for every little thing, just to let God know I’m depending on Him for every decision — big or small.

3.) Live For God

I made sure that I was worthy of an answered prayer because praying is a privilege. I tried not to disappoint God with bad habits. Making sure my actions and intentions were coming from a wholesome and Christian place.

4.) Wait Expectantly

I left myself open to God’s answer. He knows how to move me (and you) towards action. From experience, I learned to be alert to how I feel, what I see, and what people around me are saying because He could be speaking to me through any of those.

The Result

Well, I did these four things for weeks. I had a few callbacks, but no solid leads for a job. No one wanted to hire me. But for some reason, I was compelled to register for classes for the new semester just to see how much tuition would cost. I went straight to the registrar’s office and the lady helping me said my tuition for 24 credits (a full-time student load) would be $3. Did I hear her correctly?

At the time out-of-state fees went up to $1500 (+ books) while residents paid about $800.

I guess she read the confusion on my face so she said it again. “Your tuition for 24 credits will be $3.” I gave her $5 and used the extra $2 to take the bus home.

Apparently, I received a tuition waiver! My prayers were answered and none of them fell into options A), B) and C)! I didn’t even need to work, I could concentrate on studying, and that was an option I never thought possible. And 10 years later I’m still living in the Bay Area but I’m out of college now and I have my dream job.

Prayer works. If you can’t find the answers, take the time to pray and you’ll soon learn that God tailors solutions specifically for you. Prayer can’t guarantee that you’ll receive everything you want but you will get everything you need and more. What have you got to lose?

4 ways to fight anxiety with faith and prayer Click To Tweet

About the Author

Jan Valerio uses prayer as her tool. It’s prayer that landed her the job of her dreams. She creates content that proves God exists in our lives. Born and raised in Hawaii, she continues to wear slippers even through the Bay Area winters.

You can connect with Jan on Twitter @Jancake3

---