When Worry Won’t Turn Off at Night

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A few years ago, a young woman named Kristen was

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getting ready to start college, and on paper, everything looked

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exciting, a whole new chapter of life. But inside, she was

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falling apart. At night, when everything got quiet, her mind

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would turn into a runaway train. She said her anxiety would crank

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up the moment she tried to go to sleep. Her heart would race, and

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her thoughts would spiral. And before long, she was convinced

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she was losing control of her life before it even began. Then,

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one night, exhausted and out of answers, she reached a breaking

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point. She got out of bed, dropped to her knees on the

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floor, and whispered a prayer that was as honest as it gets.

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God, I can't carry this anymore. She didn't try to impress God.

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She was just honest with Him. And something happened that she

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didn't expect.

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Welcome to Daily Devotions for Busy Lives. I'm Bart Leger, and

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today we're talking about those nights when you climb into bed

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physically tired, but your mind refuses to shut off. Your

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thoughts start racing about the future, your job, your family,

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your finances. And the more you try not to worry, the bigger

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your worries seem to get. If you've ever stared at the

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ceiling at 2 a. m., replayed fears and what-ifs, then this

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episode is for you. Philippians 4, 6, and 7 says,

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Most of us don't choose anxiety on purpose. It kind of sneaks up

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on us. Paul doesn't want to be, LAUGHTER, A passing thought

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about tomorrow's meeting turns into a five-minute scenario in

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your head. A concern about one of your kids becomes a movie of

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worst-case scenarios. A bill reminds you of money, and

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suddenly, you're living six months in the future, imagining

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everything that could go wrong. Paul doesn't pretend those

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concerns aren't real, and he doesn't say, just stop thinking

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about it. Instead, he gives us a different path. He says, don't

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worry about anything. Instead, pray about everything. Take the

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very thing you're obsessing over and turn it into a conversation

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with God. Then, tell God what you need, and be specific. Maybe

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it's wisdom for a decision, or provision for a bill, or peace

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for your heart, or protection over your family. And then,

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finally, thank Him for all He has done. Gratitude doesn't

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erase the problem, but it reframes your perspective. It

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reminds your anxious heart that God has been faithful before,

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and He hasn't changed.

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That word, guard, is a military term. It's like God stationing

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His peace around your heart and mind, especially in the moments

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where worry usually rushes in. Then, the circumstances might

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not instantly change, but something inside you can. We

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notice the order. We pray, we're honest, we thank Him, then we

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experience His peace.

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It's an invitation to bring our whole anxious selves to Him, and

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then let Him meet us there. This is where Kristen's story comes

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back in. Kristen later said that the moment she prayed that

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desperate prayer, she felt something shift inside her. The

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heavens didn't open, and the angels didn't sing, but it was

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peace, real peace. The kind that Philippians 4 talks about, the

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peace that guards your heart and mind. She said God took away her

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insomnia, and her anxiety was not as intense. Little by little,

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she stopped spiraling. That one moment of surrender became the

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turning point. It didn't erase all the stress of college or

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life, but it broke the cycle, and it taught her that honest

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prayer and gratitude are sometimes the doorways to the

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very peace we're begging for. Maybe you can relate. Your

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worries might not be about starting college, but they might

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be about a job that feels unstable, or a child who's

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struggling. Maybe it's aging parents and their health, or

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bills that don't seem to match your income. the first worried

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thought from popping into your head, but you can choose what

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you do next. Philippians 4 invites you to do what Kristen

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did on that bedroom floor. Turn your anxiety into honest, simple

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prayer, and anchor it with gratitude. Here's today's

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challenge. Tonight, when you lie down and your mind starts to

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race, don't battle your thoughts alone. Instead, pray honestly.

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Whisper, Lord, I can't carry this. And then, tell them

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exactly what's on your mind. It could be about your future, your

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work, your family, really anything, whatever it is. And

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then, second, tell God what you need. Ask specifically for His

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help, His wisdom, or His provision, or His peace. And

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then, thirdly, thank Him for at least three things. They can be

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small. It could be a person you love, a way He's provided for

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you in the past, or simply that He's with you in this very

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moment. Do that instead of just replaying every what if. Let

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those worried minutes become a doorway to God's presence, not

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just a tunnel of fear. Lord, You see every late night fear and

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every hidden anxiety about our future. You know how our minds

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can spiral when the lights go out and the house gets quiet.

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Father, teach us to create our anxious thoughts for honest

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prayer and real gratitude. Tonight, guard our hearts and

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minds with Your peace. Help us to rest, not because every

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problem is solved, but because we're held by You. In Jesus'

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name, Amen. If today's episode has encouraged you, chances are

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it might just help someone you care about too. So, maybe share

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it with a friend or a loved one. Just copy the link in the show

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notes and send it their way. You never know how much they might

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need it today. Thanks for helping me spread the word. It

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does really mean the world to me. Thanks for joining me today on

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Daily Devotions for Busy Lives. Remember, when worry won't turn

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off at night, you don't have to face it alone. God is inviting

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you to trade anxious spirals for His peace. Come back next time

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for more encouragement to help you live grounded in God's truth.

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Until then, God bless and have a great day.