Borrowed Words: For When You Are Worrying About the Future

A collection of prayers for when you can’t find your own.

I watched a video recently of a man talking about how exhausted he was.

Not physically exhausted.

Soul exhausted.

The kind of tired that comes from constantly chasing the next thing.

The next goal.
The next opportunity.
The next version of yourself.

And as I listened, I realized he was describing something I know very well, because I’ve been there too.

Actually, if I’m honest, I’m there more often than I’d like to admit.

I spend so much time thinking about tomorrow that I forget to live today.

Thinking about where my career is going, whether I’ll ever achieve the things I dream about and how everything is supposed to work out.

And somewhere in the middle of all that thinking, I stop breathing.

I stop resting.

I stop noticing what’s right in front of me.

Because anxiety has a way of convincing us that if we worry enough, we can somehow control the future.

As if we’re the ones holding everything together.

But lately, God has been teaching me something uncomfortable:

Rest is an act of warfare. In a world that demands constant production, choosing to rest is an act of defiance. It says, “The world will not fall apart if I close my eyes. I am not the one holding it together.”

You are not a product. Your worth is not tied to your output, your inbox, your bank account, or your five-year plan. You are allowed to just be.

The next step is enough. You don’t need a map for the next decade. You just need enough light for the very next step.

The world keeps spinning when I rest.

The future arrives whether I panic about it or not.

And maybe faith isn’t having all the answers.

Maybe faith is trusting God with the answers I don’t have.

So if you’re carrying anxiety about tomorrow... If you’re exhausted from trying to figure everything out...

If you’re worried about where your life is headed...

These borrowed words are for you.

“Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” - Matthew 6:34

Dear God,

I come to You with all the fear and anxiety about the future ahead of me.

Lord, please help me to put my trust in You.

Sometimes I want to trust You, but I don’t know what to expect. I don’t know where I’m going. I don’t know if the path will be smooth or if I’ll stumble. And that uncertainty paralyzes me.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” - Proverbs 3:5–6

I know that when I put my trust in You, everything works for my good and I won’t fear. But I’m still stuck. Stuck between the theology of it all and the actual belief. Stuck between knowing that You’re trustworthy and feeling like I need to figure it out myself.

I want to trust Your plan for me. I truly do. But I’m terrified of the unknown.

I know You are all-knowing. I know You won’t lead me in harm’s way. I know that Your love for me is not based on my performance or my productivity or my ability to keep up.

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” - Jeremiah 29:11

But Lord, I’m exhausted.

I’m exhausted from striving. From chasing. From running toward a future I can’t even see clearly. From the constant question: Is this enough? Am I enough?

So I’m asking You: Help me find peace in Your guidance.

Help me not give up when the path gets unclear. Help me ease my mind and remind me that the plans You have for me are better than the ones I have for myself.

Show me a life I would have never imagined.

Show me how good life can actually get when I stop trying to force it.

“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” - Matthew 6:33

I pray that no matter what I endure, You will always be by my side. That I will always turn to You for guidance instead of turning to my own understanding.

Grant me the courage to rest without feeling guilty.

Grant me the ability to enjoy today without worrying about tomorrow.

Grant me faith that doesn’t require me to understand the entire plan before I take the first step.

Thank You for directing my way, even when I can’t see where it’s going.

In Jesus’ name, Amen.