God Changes Us, Not Always Circumstances

Worry doesn’t have to dominate your life. In Turn Your Worries into Prayers, Whitney Hopler reflects on Psalm 34:4 and shares how prayer can transform fear into peace and courage. Listeners will learn practical steps for turning anxious thoughts into prayers, experiencing God’s strength in challenging situations, and trusting Him to guide their hearts even when circumstances don’t change. This episode is perfect for anyone seeking freedom from fear, deeper trust in God, and practical ways to make prayer a daily habit.

✨ Highlights

• Psalm 34:4: prayer frees us from fear

• Turning worry into prayer shifts attention from the problem to God

• God may not always change circumstances, but He strengthens and changes us

• Practical tips for praying immediately when fear arises

• Learning to walk with courage and peace through life’s challenges

• Reflection: identifying specific fears and giving them to God

💬 Join the Conversation

What worries have been weighing on you lately? How can you turn them into prayers today? Share your experiences with the LifeAudio community! Tag @LifeAudioNetwork and use #FaithOverFear #PrayerPower #TrustGod #CourageThroughChrist to encourage others to find peace in God’s presence.

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Full Transcript Below:

Turn Your Worries into Prayers

By: Whitney Hopler

“I prayed to the Lord, and he answered me. He freed me from all my fears.” – Psalm 34:4, NLT 

I struggled with many fears while growing up. After my parents’ divorce, remarriages, and moves, I rarely felt secure. Every day brought more stress that led me to worry a lot. As a young adult, I still struggled with the bad habit of worry, even though by then I had a relationship with Jesus. It wasn’t until I finally decided to pray – every single time I noticed that I felt afraid of something – that I finally broke free of my fears. By turning my worries into prayers, I welcomed God into my struggles. I didn’t just ruminate on my anxious thoughts; I did something useful with them by giving them to God to handle. That made all the difference! Soon, I learned that God is always willing to fight anxiety for me. Now, I still feel afraid sometimes in this fallen world, like everyone does. But I don’t get stuck in fear. I pray whenever a worry enters my mind – and God frees me from my fears by giving me the peace and courage I need, even in scary situations. 

What fears are you struggling with in your own life? You were never meant to carry those burdens alone. Psalm 34:4 describes a life-changing truth: prayer is the action that turns your fears over to God. 

Prayer moves your attention away from the source of your fear and toward the source of your strength: God. When you pray, you stop letting fearful thoughts run wild in your mind and get rid of them by asking God to handle them. A quick prayer that you say as soon as you catch yourself worrying will work. God already knows your thoughts, and he already knows how to help you, as well. 

Sometimes, God might change the challenging circumstances that are causing your fears. But more often, God won’t change your circumstances. Instead, he will change you. God will give you the courage to walk right through your challenges without worrying about them. 

The freedom God gives is a strong sense of peace that settles over you even when challenges are going on around you. You’ll know that you’re not alone and that God’s strength is more than enough for you to handle any challenge that comes into your life. You’ll still feel afraid sometimes. But you can overcome your fears, because of the confidence God gives you that he’ll help you do so. 

So, the very next time you notice a fearful thought in your mind that’s tempting you to worry, let that be your signal to pray. Don’t let the thought spiral. Instead, immediately say a prayer about it to God. You can say a brief prayer, either out loud or silently. It could be as simple as: “Lord, help me,” or: “God, I give you this fear. Please give me your peace.” You can even pray something similar to the words of Psalm 34:4 itself: “Lord, I’m praying to you. Please answer me and free me from this fear.” 

By doing this, you can turn every single one of your worries into prayers. You’ll be amazed at how God will answer your prayers by strengthening you to move forward with courage! 

Intersecting Faith and Life

As you consider how God will free you from your fears when you turn your worries into prayers, reflect on these questions: 

• What’s one specific fear that has been on your mind lately? Pray about it, asking God to free you from it. 
• Can you recall a time in your life when you prayed about something that was worrying you, and God helped you overcome that challenge? 
• How does the idea of being freed from fear by receiving peace and courage – rather than by the problem disappearing – change how you might pray in challenging situations? 
• This week, how can you make prayer your first response to the worries that enter your mind? 

Further Reading

2 Timothy 1:7

Isaiah 41:10

Joshua 1:9

Philippians 4:6-7

1 Peter 5:7

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