Having friends who wish you well, have your best interests at heart, and who love you, are wonderful. They can support you and share your burdens. Do you know what they can't do though? They can't fix your anxiety. All the positive thoughts in the world aren't going to calm your anxious heart. Friends who promise to pray for you, on the other hand, are another matter entirely. They can go to the sovereign ruler of the universe on your behalf. Through prayer, they can move mountains.
Recently I had really bad anxiety for several reasons. I mean based on the frightening, chaotic state of the world, who doesn't have anxiety?? But I had personal reasons too. I told my best friend. She prayed for me. I shared with my community group and they prayed. I went to church and I asked for prayer from the prayer team. A friend saw my teary face afterward and put her arm around me and promised to pray for me. The thing is, people often say "thoughts and prayers", but they really only mean good thoughts. I'm glad to have people thinking good thoughts, but that doesn't actually change anything. What I am very blessed to have is friends and a church community who says that they will pray for me and then do so. Really. It reminds me of a song that we sing in choir: "long as I live, and troubles rise, I'll hasten to His throne". What a privilege that I can hasten to His throne, but how amazing that there are people who are willing to go there on my behalf as well.
So, anyway, back to the anxiety. After all those prayers my anxiety was replaced by inexplicable peace. Not a single thing in my circumstances changed. But my worries and anxieties were brought before God, the one for whom nothing is impossible. He answered the prayers for peace and a calm heart. I am well aware that He does not always magically remove all anxiety. But in this case, because of all my praying friends, I had peace. And as a result I had the most wonderful time with the thing I had been most anxious about.