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Summary
- Isaiah 26:3 promises “perfect peace” to the one “whose mind is stayed on thee,” and 1 Peter 5:7 tells believers to cast “all your care upon him; for he careth for you.”
- The 1928 Book of Common Prayer has family prayers “For Quiet Confidence” and “For Trustfulness,” which asks to be kept from “faithless fears and worldly anxieties.”
- Against bad or intrusive thoughts, Orthodox Christians repeat the Jesus Prayer, “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner”; Orthodox Vespers and the Anglican collect for the Second Sunday in Lent also ask protection from evil thoughts.
- Short prayers cover sleepless nights, fear of tomorrow, sudden anxiety, a loved one, money, other people’s opinions and a worry that keeps returning.
- Jesus told his disciples not to worry (Matthew 6:25–34), while Paul described “the care of all the churches” pressing on him daily (2 Corinthians 11:28).
- Prayer goes alongside medical care; anxiety that does not go away or recurring thoughts that will not stop are reasons to see a doctor.
Bibliography (Click to show)
- Scripture quotations are from the King James Version (1611), text of Project Gutenberg eBook no. 10 (Psalm 4:8; 42:5; 46:10; 55:22; 56:3; 94:19; Proverbs 29:25; Isaiah 26:3; 30:15; Matthew 6:27, 34; 11:28; 26:38; Luke 10:41; 18:13; John 14:27; 2 Corinthians 11:28; Philippians 4:6–8; 1 Peter 5:7). https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/10
- The Book of Common Prayer (Protestant Episcopal Church in the U.S.A.), Standard Book of 1928. The Second Sunday in Lent, Collect, p. 127; Family Prayer, “For Quiet Confidence,” p. 595, and “For Trustfulness,” p. 596. PDF facsimile: https://www.artisticdailyprayers.org/uploads/3/0/1/6/30164961/bcp1928std.pdf
- Hapgood, Isabel Florence, trans. Service Book of the Holy Orthodox-Catholic Apostolic (Greco-Russian) Church. Boston and New York: Houghton, Mifflin, 1906. The All-Night Vigil Service, Great Vespers, prayer at the bowing of heads, p. 10. https://archive.org/details/ServiceBookOfHolyOrthodoxChurchByHapgood
- Orthodox Church in America. “The Jesus Prayer.” The Orthodox Faith, vol. 4, Spirituality. https://www.oca.org/orthodoxy/the-orthodox-faith/spirituality/prayer-fasting-and-almsgiving/the-jesus-prayer
- National Institute of Mental Health. “Anxiety Disorders.” https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/anxiety-disorders
- National Institute of Mental Health. “Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD).” https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/obsessive-compulsive-disorder-ocd
- 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. https://988lifeline.org/
- Samaritans. “Contact Samaritans.” https://www.samaritans.org/how-we-can-help/contact-samaritan/
- Fund for Support of Children in Difficult Life Situations. Helpline for children, teenagers and parents, 8 800 2000 122. https://fond-detyam.ru/
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