how to turn worry into trust

Over the past several weeks on Instagram and Facebook, I’ve been posting tips on how to turn worry into trust. This is a challenge for all of us, so I’m not speaking as one who has completely overcome worry. But I have come a long way, and I thought I’d include you in some of the ways I’ve had victory.

Here are the 10 tips I shared!

Tip #1 Rather than repeating worried prayers, thank God right now for what you know He will do for you today. 

This might be the most powerful tip for turning worry into trust! It changes our perspective, pushing worried thoughts away. Let’s face it– we often get stuck in a cycle of frantic prayers, begging for what we think we need, then worrying even more when that particular thing doesn’t happen.

What if we set this pattern aside and instead focus on what we KNOW that God is ALREADY doing in our midst? I’m not talking about assuming that He is working on the specific outcome we’ve prayed for. We want to RECOGNIZE and THANK God for what He’s said He will do in EVERY situation:

I go before you in all things. Deut 31:8
I am with you always. Matt 28:20
I am listening to you. 1 John 5:14
I give you My peace. John 14:27
I am teaching you and leading you. Ps 32:8
I am transforming you. 2 Cor 3:18
I am meeting all of your needs. Phil 4:19
I am working things together for your eternal good. Rom 8:28
I am establishing an ideal time for everything. Eccl 3:1

Let’s stand on these promises and remember Paul’s encouragement in Phil 4:6-7. “Be anxious for nothing, but pray about everything…with THANKS make your requests.” Right here we have a reminder to thank Him for what He’s ALREADY doing. Make your requests, then move to thanks. Don’t return to that cycle of frantic, begging prayers. Here are some examples of confident, thankful prayers:

>>Lord, I thank you that ___ is safe in Your hands. Thank You for going before her and watching over her at all times. I trust that You know her best and have plans to grow her and bring good out of her circumstances.

>>God, thank you for hearing my financial concerns. I trust You to provide for my needs in Your perfect timing, according to Your good plans. I welcome the peace that You give me through Your Holy Spirit inside me.

>>Father, though I am powerless over ____, I know that You are not. May Your kingdom come and Your will be done in these circumstances. I rest in Your sovereignty and good timing. Open my eyes to see what You’re doing as I wait for the outcome that You have planned.

If you’re having trouble formulating a confident prayer of thanks for your area of worry, I would love to help you! Email me at jamie@jamiedesilvia.com or message me on social media!

Tip #2 Keep a record of “God Stories” to reflect on and boost your trust in Him.

Have you noticed how the Bible retells stories of God’s faithfulness over and over? The most retold narrative of scripture is the Exodus—when God rescued His people from slavery in Egypt. The story is thoroughly recounted at least 18 times in the Old Testament and referred to over 140 times in the Bible. In addition to all of the remembrances in scripture, God asked His people to celebrate the Passover every year in memory of their deliverance. For thousands of years, His people have gathered annually to retell the story of God’s power and faithfulness.

God established this pattern of remembering because He knows that when we reflect on what He has done for us in the past, it fuels our faith going forward. When we are reminded of how he answered, rescued, provided, intervened, healed, and guided us in a previous season, we find it easier to trust God and wait on Him right now.

Start making your list of God stories today! You can write them in a journal or save them in a notes app on your phone. Consider recording an audio or video version of some of your stories to share with others online, or save them for the next generation of your family to inspire them and leave a legacy of trust in God.

>> Lord, I remember when you rescued me from ____. At times, I felt like the hardship would never end, but You came through at just the right time. I recall when You answered my long-time prayers for ____. It was painful to wait, but I remember the joy I experienced when the answer came. God, I remember when You showed up in an unexpected way to meet my needs. In that moment, I wondered why I ever worried or doubted that You would take care of me. You are faithful. Your ways are good. I put my trust in You.

Tip #3 Harness the power of your imagination. Rather than envisioning worst-case scenarios, visualize yourself with Jesus. 

Jesus said, “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” So why—when we are thinking about future events that concern us and playing out possible scenarios in our minds—why don’t we imagine Jesus there with us??

Try this exercise instead of running scenarios:
~ Close your eyes, focus on breathing for a minute or two.
~ Breathe in, “Draw me closer,” and breathe out, “Lord Jesus.”  Breathe in, “Come,” and breathe out, “Holy Spirit.”
~ When you feel at peace, imagine yourself in your favorite quiet place. (Beach, cozy chair, mountain cabin, etc.) Let your imagination create the scene with all its details in your mind’s eye.
~ Imagine Jesus walking toward you in that place. Greet him and talk with Him about the thing that worries you.
~ Let Him speak something to you there in your mind’s eye.

It’s time to give up rehearsing future situations and outcomes. We live in the right now, beloved! Stay in the present with Jesus and let Him take care of the future.

If you’d like a recording of the exercise above to walk you through it, I created a bonus podcast episode for you! Click here: https://jamiedesilvia.com/podcast/ and then click on your favorite platform to listen to episode 2.17.

Tip #4  Let go of trying to perform your trust in the Lord. Instead, confess your lack of trust and ask Him to increase the little bit that you have.

This request for an increase is consistent with one of the major themes throughout scripture— God takes the little that we offer and increases it into more.  In Matthew 14:13-21, Jesus took a boy’s small lunch and multiplied it to feed thousands.  In 2 Kings 4:1-7, God blessed the little bit of oil that the widow had left after much hardship, and it became a source of provision.  In Luke 21:1-4, Jesus praised the poor woman’s offering of two small coins, calling it “more than all the others” had given.  This principle applies not only to the physical world, but also to the spiritual.

Beloved, He can take the little bit of faith and trust that you have in Him and expand it. So no more putting pressure on yourself to prove that you have enough!!  Ask for an increase of faith like the disciples did in Luke 17:5. You can’t do it on your own.

>> Lord, increase my ability to trust You amid tough circumstances. Help my unbelief. Bring Your peace to calm my heart and mind. Amen.

Tip #5  Beware putting your trust in a certain outcome or specific timing. Instead, put your full trust in God to do it His way, in His time.

It’s easy to put our hope in the outcome we desperately want instead of God alone. When we watch for a specific answer or outcome, we may miss recognizing what God is doing instead. His “instead” is always far better than anything we have imagined. (Ephesians 3:20)

Our perspective is so limited! God knows infinitely more about options, solutions, and possibilities than we do. He knows people that we don’t know. He has vast resources that are hidden from our view. You have Someone who knows ALL THINGS working on the thing you’re worried about. Let go and allow Him to do it His way, rather than limiting Himself to your specific requests. Let Him surprise and bless you!

And while you wait, reflect on the ways He has gone above and beyond for you. When it seems like God is doing nothing, you can be assured He is working in the secret places on your behalf. When it seems like God is late, it’s often because we were trusting in a certain outcome or timing. He’s never late—only waiting for the right time.  He’s not finished, beloved!

Remember this prayer from Psalm 138:8. “The Lord will accomplish what concerns me; Your faithfulness, Lord, is everlasting; Do not abandon the works of Your hands.”

>> Lord, have your way. I trust you to accomplish this thing that concerns me Your way, in Your timing. I trust in Your faithfulness, knowing it will never end. I believe that You will not abandon Your work in me. When I can’t see You working, help me to trust. Have Your way in me, Lord.

Tip #6 Invite the Holy Spirit to catch you when you begin to fall into worry. When He alerts you, practice shifting away from worry by simply praying aloud, “I put my trust in You, Lord.” Repeat as often as needed.

Beloved, struggling with worry is normal. Sometimes we don’t even realize we’re doing it. Jesus knows it’s our default response to challenges and concerns, but the Holy Spirit can bring transformation if we are willing.

For many years, my transformation was blocked because at the moment the Holy Spirit caught me in an unhealthy pattern, I would beat myself up about it instead of taking the opportunity to welcome change.  But one day, God whispered to me that the awareness of my weakness or failure is not meant for condemnation! It is meant for transformation!

When the Spirit catches you, don’t waste a single moment beating yourself up. Quickly confess it and choose whatever the Spirit presents to you as an alternative.

Years ago, I chose the default prayer, “I put my trust in You, Lord,” as my response when the Lord gently caught me in old patterns. I would repeat the prayer again and again until I felt myself shifting away from the shame and the worry or desire for control. This is good practice.

Soon we will find ourselves reacting a little differently to stressors. At some point, trust becomes a more regular response. This is the transformation we long for!

>> Catch me, Lord, when I’m worrying. Help me to choose trust in that moment. Jesus, strengthen me so that I can trust You more and more.

Tip #7 Intentionally resist patterns of worry with activities that allow your mind to rest or think about something else. 

We can turn worry into trust by creating habits that resist worry. Years ago, I regularly let my mind run in circles, dwelling on things I couldn’t control during my daily walk around the neighborhood. It became increasingly problematic for me to be alone with my thoughts for an hour! By the time my walk was over, I had whipped myself into a frenzy of worry and I felt exhausted. The Lord gave me the idea to listen to audiobooks as I walked. For that hour, my mind could rest as I relaxed into a story and the time went by so fast!

I also had trouble with worry and negativity while cooking dinner or doing the dishes, and audiobooks helped with that too.  Do you need to guard your mind from overthinking and worrying?

~ Try listening to worship music or podcasts while driving or exercising.
~ Read the Bible to help your mind rest and fall asleep at bedtime (or if you wake up in the middle of the night).
~ Consider crocheting, crafting, doing puzzles, or another relaxing activity to engage your mind and keep it from wandering into worry when you have downtime.

>>Lord, You know me best! Teach me how I can resist worry with simple habits or routines. Show me my next step on this journey to trust You more. Amen.

Tip #8 Refuse to worry about people and circumstances that are not your responsibility. Rely on the Holy Spirit to show you what you’re responsible for.

It’s important to recognize whether or not something is actually our concern or battle.  The Lord has been teaching me a lot about this with my children. I tend to get very wound up and worried about something and the Holy Spirit will whisper to me, “That’s his (or her) problem.” This has become a signal for me to switch from worry to surrender and trust.

Beloved, notice when the Holy Spirit is laying boundary lines for you.

>> Lord, Your word says that my boundary lines have fallen in pleasant places. Show me what is in my control and what is not. Show me what my responsibility is and what it isn’t. Help me to accept the boundaries that You set. I trust You with all of the unknown outcomes. I trust You to give me Your peace as I wait and see what You will do.

Tip #9  Crowd out your anxious thoughts by cultivating daily gratitude. Notice all the ways that God is showing you His love and care.

Let’s face it— you and I tend to focus on what we lack rather than what we already have.

We are more likely to think about the unfinished business and unanswered prayers than the myriad of things that are good in our lives. So let’s take the time to notice!

Start with gratitude for little things like a butterfly on our walk, green lights on the drive, flowers on the hillside, hugs from our people, a good meal, or dramatic clouds at sunset.

We can also reflect on the ways that God is showing up for us. Perhaps it’s not the “main event” that want Him to do, but if we widen our gaze, we’ll see the little things He is doing on the periphery.

Maybe He sent a friend to check on us or rotated our playlist to bless us with that song at just the right moment. What about when we experienced unexpected favor or seemingly dodged a conflict?

God is FOR you, beloved, and it will show in lots of different ways if you are looking. Set a daily reminder on your phone or use a post-it note to nudge your heart toward gratitude.

A thankful eye will catch things that an anxious eye will never see.

>> Lord, cultivate gratitude in me! Give me eyes to see all that You are doing in my midst. I don’t want to miss any of Your love notes. You are so good to me! I love You and I trust You with the hard and the unknown. Amen.

Tip #10  Get prayer support. Ask the person in your life who always points you back to Jesus to pray with you and for you through all the ups and downs of life.

It might seem obvious, but prayer partnerships don’t always form naturally or easily. Reach out to someone who doesn’t complain or dwell on the negative. You’re looking for the person who consistently points you back to Jesus and trusting in Him.

Maybe the Lord is bringing someone to mind right now. Invite them to coffee and let them know how much their support or encouragement has meant to you. Then ask if they would be willing to pray FOR you and WITH you on a regular basis.

Maybe you’ve tried a prayer partnership but it didn’t work out the way you hoped. Don’t be afraid to circle back and communicate your needs, or choose someone new! Don’t wait for it to happen. You can cultivate the prayer support you need now.

Knowing that someone else is praying for you strengthens your faith and inspires you to trust Him more.  What could a prayer partnership look like? Everyone is different, so find a rhythm that works for you and your friend. Here are some suggestions:

~ Text or email each other weekly prayer requests. Also, hit the voice-to-text button to capture your prayers and send them to each other! It’s helpful to see/hear what others are praying for you.

~ Schedule a regular time each week or month to chat for 30 min on the phone OR on a messaging app. Check in with each other and share prayer requests. I have a long-time friend that I connect with every two weeks on FB messenger and it gives us a chance to catch up and update prayer requests!

~ Agree to meet regularly before or after Bible study or Sunday service for a few minutes to pray together. It doesn’t have to be every week.

~ Set a regular pattern of meeting for coffee or a walk to pray and talk together.

~ Ask/give permission to call when you’re really in need of prayer. This can be as short as 5 minutes! Text the person and tell them the need. When they are available, you can connect on the phone and listen as they lift you up in prayer. This can be a pick-me-up and a perspective changer!

I pray that these tips will help you worry less and trust God more. If you’d like to hear more, be sure to follow me on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/jamiedesilvia/ or my author page on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/jamiedesilviaauthor

Bless you,