I make my way cautiously from the ornately decorated lobby of the exquisite hotel and follow the lavender banners that lead to the conference room. I’ve just traveled eight hours to attend a women’s conference. This seemed like a wonderful idea from afar. Now that I’m here, I’m lifting up prayers for insecurity as it tells me I won’t fit in here.
I imagine the hundreds of women who will sit among the rose-colored decorations. I wonder if I’ll make a friend, if I’ll fit in, or if this will feel strangely similar to the first day of school in the junior high cafeteria. My shirt feels too wrinkled, my pants too tight, and my carefully curled hair too frizzy in the Carolina humidity.
I’m heading toward the registration table, wondering why in the world I thought it was a good idea to undertake this adventure all alone when I remind myself to keep praying.
Most of us know how it feels to get lost in self-focused thoughts and forget to pray.
Imagine what might happen if we paused to pray in moments of insecurity. Maybe God would realign our priorities with his priorities. We might shift our eyes off of ourselves and remember the higher calling: God is always calling us to take our eyes off of ourselves and look for someone to love.
4 Prayers for Insecurity
If you ever feel the way I felt that humid morning, here are four specific prayers for your insecure moments.
1. Pray for eyes to see the needs around you.
As I walked cautiously toward the women at the conference registration table, I reminded myself that the calling on my life is to love God and love others. Stopping in my tracks, I paused to ask God for eyes to see the needs of the women around me. This single prayer reframed my entire weekend.
2. Pray for an outward focus to eclipse your inward focus.
Pray for God’s eyes—for his discernment—and he will show you the needs surrounding you. Self-focus will no longer blind you. You’ll create space to notice a glint of sadness, loneliness, or insecurity in the face of another person. You’ll prepare your heart to show up and love others right where they’re at. You’ll stop gazing at yourself as you truly listen to and love other people.
3. Pray God will show you how to encourage someone else.
God knows what we can’t see on the surface. He knows about the coworker who needs a friend. He loves the lonely cashier whose day might be rescued by a single compliment. God sees the tired mom who is desperate for just a few minutes of adult conversation.
Ask God to show you how to encourage the people he sets before you. You will soon find that the anxiety-inducing social situation becomes an exciting journey of loving others alongside your heavenly Father.
4. Thank God for your unchanging identity as his beloved child.
Lastly, we aren’t free to love others selflessly until their approval isn’t what matters most. When I’m afraid I might say the wrong thing or embarrass myself, my concerns rest on the approval of others. I’m more concerned with being liked than being God’s vessel of love.
Adversely, when I grasp that my core identity is firmly fixed on God’s love, I don’t need to fear looking foolish in the eyes of others. I have the approval of the only One who matters. This love sets me free to love others without fear—without needing anything in return.
God calls us to be his vessels of love in the world. Sadly, we cannot fulfill God’s calling when we’re looking at ourselves or chasing the approval of others.
Friend, God has not called you to fit in. He has called you to go into the world and carry his love. The next time you catch yourself feeling insecure in a crowded room, shift your focus. Lift your eyes and go find someone who needs God’s love. The most powerful prayers for insecurity are prayers to see the needs surrounding us.
This is an updated edition of a post originally published on Stacey Pardoe
Featured Image by wichai bopatay from Pixabay
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