How to Resist Morning Worry and Wake Up Trusting God

I woke up this morning worrying about the same problem I gave to God yesterday. And the crazy thing is, it happened before I was even aware of it.

Why do I feel anxious when I wake up in the morning?

You know those few moments between waking up and being fully awake? Yeah, that’s when it happens, while my defenses are down.

Before I even open my eyes, worrisome thoughts start brewing like the automatic coffee pot in the kitchen. Except that the coffee pot is brewing something good.

My thoughts? Not so much.

And since I haven’t had that coffee yet, I try to fight off the worry with a half-alert brain.

Bits and pieces of verses come to mind, but then I get aggravated with myself for not remembering God’s Word. I know there are hundreds of verses to help calm my anxious thoughts, but I’m not able to focus.

I try to pray against the anxiety but can’t organize a coherent sentence. Frustration takes over. Then self-condemnation. Then defeat.

Before I’m even aware of it, I’m in a downward spiral. I have my tablet and devotional on the bedside table, ready to give God the first few minutes of my day. But instead of sitting up to turn on the light, I feel darkness settle into my heart.

How to Stop Morning Worry and Wake Up Trusting God

Girl on bicycle. Text reads: How to Resist Morning Worry and Wake Up Trusting God

Trusting God in Difficult Times for a New Way to Wake Up

It’s amazing how a few minutes spent reading God’s Word will alter a negative attitude. Whether we struggle with worry, doubt, or frustration, God has the encouragement we need to turn those thoughts around.

So what can we do when problems try to invade our thoughts before we even open our eyes in the morning? Is there a way to retrain our minds to wake up trusting God’s promises instead of rehashing our problems? How do we stop morning worry and start trusting God?

2 Corinthians 10:5 says we can “take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” That’s great news for those problems that come back in the early morning hours before coherence kicks in. What we need is a short but powerful Truth to easily recall when morning worry happens.

A Short and Simple Verse to Refocus the Worry and Jump-Start Your Day

Can I be gut-honest with you today? I’m tired of letting problems take the first moments of my day. I’m absolutely done giving God my concerns over and over, only to grab them back again. God doesn’t want that for us. He longs for us to walk in His promises every day of our lives. But we need to put in a little work to get there.

Are we willing to trust God with our anxious thoughts?

Here’s a good place to start, a short and simple verse to jump-start our day. With it, we can begin to resist morning worry and wake up trusting God.

“For we live by believing and not by seeing.” 2 Corinthians 5:7 NLT

Paul encouraged the church at Corinth with these few words of faith. Although we will have problems in this life, we trust in the One who makes all things new. We may not be able to see Him now, but we know His mercies are “new every morning.” He is faithful to accept our deepest hurts and replace them with His perfect peace.

So if we can commit these words to memory and believe in their truth, we can also trust God is there with us in those wee hours, ready to restore our peace once again.

God will gladly trade our worry for peace, our doubt for confidence, and our frustration for His grace.

Tomorrow morning, anxious thoughts may come again. They may try and convince me to revisit the problems already covered by God’s promises. But tomorrow will be different. Tomorrow, I’ll be ready. I will live by believing.