Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
"Do not be anxious about anything." Read on its own, that could sound like a dismissal — like someone telling you your worry isn't valid. But look at what comes right after: pray about everything instead. This isn't asking you to suppress what you feel. It's pointing you toward somewhere to put it.
There's something almost countercultural about "with thanksgiving" tucked into that instruction. Not thanksgiving because everything's fine — it clearly isn't, or there'd be nothing to be anxious about. It's thanksgiving offered in the middle of the asking, a way of staying open instead of clenched.
What follows is the part worth sitting with: peace that guards, like a wall around something valuable. Not peace because the problem got solved. Peace standing watch over you while it's still unsolved. If your anxiety has never found anywhere honest to go, this might be worth testing out.
If you've never tried putting your actual worries into words directed at God, this verse is an open door to see what happens when you do.
A short video on this is coming soon — for now, read on.