Don't Worry

“Don’t fret or worry”

Yeah, that gets me every time too.

“Instead of worrying, pray.”

I love how Paul gets right to the point, short and sweet. He gives a solution for the space left when we don’t worry. Pray inside that space instead.

Paul was not a mom. I’m not sure that he can really grasp the scope of what he’s asking me to do here. I don’t think he understood the scope of worries that my brain can come up with and hold close.

Every single time I come across this verse, no matter what translation, it stops me. This message version always challenges me, especially this next part.

“Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers.”

I know I knocked Paul for not being a mother, but he was really good at instructions. I love how he broke this down for us. He doesn’t just say “Stop obsessing, quit worrying, or just stop it!”. He actually explains what to replace worry with. It’s a two-step solution: petitions and then praises. Paul doesn’t tell us to pretend things aren’t happening, he gives us a concrete action to take. Pray.

Petition God, tell Him what’s nagging your brain and stealing your energy. Ask Him, petition Him, actively seek Him about everything on your mind. Yes, everything. I know it’s hard to imagine that God has that time on His hands; He does. We tend to think that to do this we really have to get somewhere alone and carve out like an hour, and this assumption keeps us from taking any action. Conquering our worries has to be ongoing. It’s all day every day. Do you only worry you are having your morning quiet time, No! That would be ridiculous. Handily enough God created prayer to go with us. We just aren’t always in the habit of opening it up when we need it.

After petitioning (asking and seeking God for help and wisdom), I often skip this next step. Praise. This is key to actually moving on from our anxiety. Praising God in this moment after pouring our hearts out helps us refocus off of our own limitations and reminds us of who God is. It reminds us to leave it in His capable hands and keeps us on alert looking for and expecting the answers we are seeking. This step can’t be skipped. It creates hope.

Once you’ve completed these steps, the rest of the verse never fails…

“Before you know it a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. Christ will displace worry at the center of your life.”

Try this for yourself.

God, You know I can’t stop thinking about _________.

How in the world should I respond to __________.

I literally don’t see a way out of this, help me___________.

Your worries don’t have to fit into one of these formulas. My advice, just obey. Stop right this second and pour out your heart to God. He listens. He has the answers. He wants back in His rightful spot at the center of your heart and thoughts.