The Golden Nugget: The real prescription for stress and anxiety in your life is prayer. Try it out today.

Weekly Verse: “Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.” —Psalm 37:3–4

Stress and anxiety are inseparable partners. Where you find one, there you will encounter the other. They are part of the human condition. You can’t avoid stress and anxiety, but it can be treated. When a doctor wants to treat a patient, he will send prescription—an “Rx”—to the pharmacist. “Rx” is an abbreviation for the Latin word for “recipe” or “take.” God’s recipe for stress and anxiety is prayer.

Prayer has two main benefits. First, prayer as a discipline calms your spirit. When you are in a position of prayer, it helps you focus on God and who He is. Second, prayer is how we speak to God. In prayer, you can ask God for whatever you need to ease your stress and anxiety. You can ask Him to heal stress and anxiety’s hold over you. And it all happens in and through prayer.

Consider This:

• What role does listening play in prayer?
• A prescription of prayer cannot become addictive. Why do you think that might be true?

Take Action:
Set aside thirty minutes for prayer each day this week. If you know the cause(s) of your stress and anxiety, ask God to help you know what to do about it. If you don’t know the cause(s) of your stress and anxiety, ask God to reveal it to you and to give you the prescription for it.