This Christian relaxation for anxiety relief exercise involves meditating on God’s Word, the Bible, to bring about relaxation and to allow you to spend time with the Lord. Specifically, this script focuses on anxiety relief and meditating on Philippians 4, verses 4 to 9.
Let’s begin by reading these verses from the Bible.
4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! 5 Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near. 6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
8 Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things. 9 The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.
Now as you meditate on these verses, begin to relax. Draw near to God as you take a few moments to be with Him. This is time that you have set aside…time to deeply rest…and allow the peace of God to wash over you.
Settle into a comfortable position, and let your body relax. Let any tension slip away. Be still.
Breathe. Breathe slowly…calmly…gently…allowing the air to move smoothly in…and softly out…
Breathing in…and out….
In…out…
Keep breathing slowly and calmly…bringing greater clarity with each breath you take…as you relax, and let the worries of the day drift away.
(Pause)
In Paul’s letter to the Philippians, he describes how to get rid of anxiety. Let’s go through these simple but powerful instructions now.
Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice!
Meditate on these words. Think about what it means to rejoice.
Rejoice is a happy, joyful word. To be filled with joy, delighted…this is to rejoice. Meditate on what it means to rejoice in the Lord.
(Pause)
Now that you have thought about this with your mind, you may want to take it a step further, and engage your heart and emotions. What does it feel like to rejoice in the Lord?
The Lord delights in you. He rejoices in you and loves you with immeasurable love. Allow His love to reach you…the God of the Universe delights in you. He knows you intimately and completely. He sees and knows everything about you, the good and the bad, and loves and delights in you still.
Faced with the Lord’s love and delight in you, allow your heart to reciprocate in rejoicing in Him. Rejoice in the Lord!
(Pause)
Let your gentle spirit be known to all men.
You have a gentle spirit. Relax in this feeling of gentleness…a quiet, peaceful, gentle spirit. Allow your gentle spirit to be seen and known to those around you. For this moment, simply rest…calm, relaxed, peaceful…gentle.
(Pause)
The Lord is near.
The Lord is with you always. He is near. He is here. The Lord Jesus is here with you now. The Holy Spirit fills you and is ever present…very close to you. Allow yourself to rest in His presence. So wonderful and peaceful…no better place to be…the most calming, amazing and wonderful place is in the presence of the Lord. The Lord is near. Rest in His comfort and protection.
(Pause)
Listen. You may allow the Lord to speak to you…or you may simply rest in His presence. Just be…
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Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.
God is bigger than any worry you face. Bigger than all anxiety. God has conquered fear. God’s love casts out fear. We do not need to be anxious about anything. We can cast all our cares on God. He knows exactly what you are facing. He knows what you are going through right now. He knows every anxiety and wants to free you from all anxiety and all fear.
It is okay to ask God for the things that are on your mind. He knows exactly what you need. He will help you get through this…and He will be there through any situation you ever face. Pray…ask…bring your requests forward. Anything. You can ask absolutely anything of God. He will never stop loving you. He will never be impatient with you or make light of your requests. God takes you seriously. Go ahead now, and with thanksgiving for God’s love for you and His desire for relationship with you, and with thanksgiving for who He is, share your requests with God.
(Pause)
Share all your anxieties with God. Pray about whatever is on your mind right now. Be honest with God. He already knows what is on your mind. He wants to talk to you about it. Expressing your fears and worries will diminish the anxiety.
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God knows better than we can ever know. He also knows the answer you need and the best solution to your situation. The answer may be what you are asking for, or it may be something else. God will work all things together for good. Whatever the outcome, and whatever the situation, God will be with you and help you through this. He will never leave you. Go ahead now and continue to pray about whatever is on your mind.
(Pause)
And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
God’s peace is the only true peace. This peace indeed surpasses all comprehension. It is beyond our understanding. God’s peace will guard your heart and your mind. Allow God’s peace to come over you now. So peaceful…deeply peaceful…protecting you…loving you…delighting in you…surrounded by peace beyond any peace you have ever imagined…perfect peace.
(Pause)
Continue to relax deeply…dwelling in the presence of the Lord…surrounded by the peace of God…allowing God’s peace to guard your heart and mind in Christ Jesus…total peace and serenity…
(Pause)
Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things. 9 The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.
Whenever anxious thoughts arise, bring your mind back to what is true. Anxiety is the expression of fear, which comes from being deceived. Fear is not true. Fear is our own efforts to handle situations under our own power and abilities. We are not able to control everything. Relinquishing control means that we must trust God rather than relying on ourselves. The enemy tries to lie to us and say that we must take charge and worry about things in order to succeed. Instead of believing this lie, focus on what is true. Express your worries to God and make your requests known to Him, and you will have peace. God’s peace is true.
Focus on things that build you up and give you joy. Those things that are honorable, right, pure, lovely, of good repute, and excellent…think about these things. Most of all, think of the Lord, who is worthy of praise. Dwell on these wonderful things. Think of all the gifts that God gives you. Making note of the blessings in your life will give you joy. Think about the many blessings God provides.
(Pause)
Practice thankfulness. Focus on the blessings you have received from God. Living with your thoughts and mind in this place will allow you dwell in God’s peace.
Whenever thoughts arise that are contrary to living in thankfulness and focusing on joy and lovely things, dismiss those thoughts and turn your mind toward Christ. By focusing on good things, you are choosing to dwell in God’s peace and you are drawing near to God.
Draw near to God now…thriving in His presence. Think of things you are thankful for, and express your thanks to God in prayer.
(Pause)
The God of peace is with you.
God’s peace surrounds you.
Dwell in the safety and serenity of God’s presence.
(Pause)
Let’s go through the verses one more time as you continue to relax.
4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! 5 Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near. 6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
8 Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things. 9 The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.
Remain in God’s presence and peace now as you reawaken and return to your day. Take a few moments to move around, stretch if you want to, and return to full alertness. When you are completely awake and alert you can return to your usual activities, filled with joy and peace.
Philippians 4: New American Standard Bible (NASB) from www.biblegateway.com.
