As 2026 comes to an end, I find myself once again struggling with transitions. During seasons of significant change, I am often filled with fear about the future, uneasy and almost phobic about the present, and burdened by questions about whether I have wasted time in the past. Sadly, people like me who are introverted, introspective, and inclined to think carefully about these things can take this too far. We can turn inward to such a degree that we carry burdens we were never meant to bear, burdens that should be given to the Lord.

In a book that was important to me during my transition out of the Word of Faith movement, John Stott wrote in Your Mind Matters about the vital role of thinking in the Christian life. Stott said, “If we do not use the mind which God has given us, we condemn ourselves to spiritual superficiality and cut ourselves off from many of the riches of God’s grace.  At the same time, knowledge is given us to be used , to lead us to higher worship, greater faith, deeper holiness, better service.  What we need is not less knowledge but more knowledge, so long as we act upon it.” When dealing with fear and inner turmoil, thinking itself can become dangerous. We can either exaggerate our thoughts as a way to cope, or we can turn inward and criticize ourselves so harshly that it leads to despair. Let me explain.

When we exaggerate our thoughts to cope with what’s happening inside us, we can create a world where we identify only with the positive and end up ignoring reality. We tell ourselves we are strong, fine, or unbothered, while ignoring fear, exhaustion, broken relationships, or unmet needs. This kind of exaggerated optimism may feel protective, but it suppresses honesty and prevents real healing, growth, and dependence on God and others. We can also turn inward and criticize ourselves so harshly that it leads to despair. When every failure is magnified and every weakness is treated as proof of worthlessness, hope begins to fade. Instead of leading us to repentance and grace, this inward attack isolates us and drives us toward despair.

These are just a few of the struggles that tend to intensify during significant seasons of change. The question, then, is this: what can serve as a balm to calm our souls when these internal battles arise? I believe prayer can be the balm that soothes and steadies our souls.

We sang the hymn “What A Friend We Have in Jesus” by Joseph Medlicott Scriven this past Sunday. I was convicted again about my prayer life and how I lack time in it. Scriven wrote this:

“What a friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and griefs to bear! What a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer! O what peace we often forfeit, O what needless pain we bear, all because we do not carry everything to God in prayer!“

Have we stopped to consider how much peace we forfeit and how much unnecessary pain we carry simply because we fail to bring everything to God in prayer? 

As I was singing this, I couldn’t help but notice the connection between my lack of prayer and the intensity of my troubled soul this season. Going to God with my burdens and actually speaking them aloud is just as important as thinking about them, and perhaps even more important. When I voice them in prayer, I am truly giving them to the Lord instead of letting them stay in my mind, where I tend to isolate and quietly try to carry what was meant to be given to God.

I have not spent enough time considering the friend we have in Jesus. Instead, I sometimes hide behind a theology that speaks of God’s excellencies in a way that makes Him feel distant. Forgiveness can become technical rather than personal, and I forget to be thankful, to worship, and to cherish the privilege of bringing my troubles to God in prayer. Though I know God theologically, I forget that He is my Father who delights in giving good things to His children. In seasons of transition, when I feel especially vulnerable, I forget that God is with me, that my Father is for me, and that Christ died for me.

Thankfully, I will not drown in despair because Christ is with me. He was with me in the past, even in seasons where I wasted time or made choices I could have avoided. He is with me in the present, even as I struggle with anxiety and regret, and He will be with me in the future, no matter what comes my way. In every circumstance, what I desire most is to pray, to speak with my Father who loves me and made it possible for me to become His child through His only begotten Son. Christ died for me and loves me with an unchanging and unwavering love, a love that calms storms and provides true nourishment for the soul.

So stop fighting this battle on your own, Saint. Pray, and pray all the more to your Father. Give Him what weighs on you. Voice and communicate to Him the things that burden your soul. Take everything to God in prayer in 2026!