A Prayer to Overcome Panic Attacks
By Lauren Gaskill
The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and will bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom. To him be glory forever and ever. Amen. – 2 Timothy 4:18
Have you ever experienced a panic attack?
The fear rises in your chest without warning. Your heart begins to race and your pupils dilate. Dread and shame quickly weigh you down and before long you can’t catch a breath. It feels as if an elephant were sitting on your chest. You might pass out. You might become nauseous. You might break out into a sweat.
It’s a dark, scary place — the kind of place you never hope to find yourself in.
It’s definitely the kind of place I never wanted to find myself in. And yet, despite every ounce of faith and belief within me, I’ve been in the panic pit more than a time or two. In reality, too many times to count.
But God is a chain breaker. And He has been so gracious to me in that, through my on-and-off struggle with panic attacks, He has shown me that I don’t need to be ashamed — I need to speak up. Because I know there are many out there who might be going through something similar. And they need hope, light and encouragement just as much as I do, every single day.
If you’re struggling with or have struggled with anxiety, remember these two truths: You are not alone. And you will get through this.
There’s a prayer I pray on the mornings after an intense panic attack, and I want to share this prayer with you today, as an example of how you might trust in God to be your strength and help you overcome.
Lord, I come to you and I thank you for drawing near to me when I draw near to you. To think that you are mindful of me — it overwhelms my soul. But Lord, today my spirit is heavy and my body is weak. I cannot bear the weight of this anxiety and panic any longer. I recognize I can’t get through this alone, and I pray against the very active enemy who is trying to shake my faith and tear us apart. Help me stand strong in you. Fortify these weary bones and remind me of the truth that this pain and panic will not last forever. It will pass.
Fill me with your joy, peace and perseverance, Father. Restore my soul and break the chains of anxiety and panic that bind me. I trust you with my panic and I know that you have the power to take it all away. But even if you don’t, I know I don’t have to be a slave to my fear. I can rest in the shadow of your wings and I will rise and overcome by your unwavering strength. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
And with that, I lift my hands up to the sky, feeling the weight lift as I surrender all to Him. I breathe in new hope and a new strength rises within.
I picture God rescuing me from the troubled waters of my anxiety, whisking me up into the air on a cloud of perfect peace. If I let Him carry me, in Him I can overcome the panic every time it comes.
Editor’s Note: Portions of this devotional were taken from How to Overcome Panic Attacks by Lauren Gaskill. You can read that article in full here. All rights reserved.
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Originally published Sunday, 21 February 2021.
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