PRAY OR WORRY: WHICH?

Each morning Josie and her Mom prayed together before she left for school. One morning after they prayed, Josie noticed a look of distress and worry on her Mom’s face.

Concerned, she said, “Mom, we just prayed together and thanked the Lord for everything we had and then told Him about everything we needed. I thought that if we prayed, we wouldn’t have to worry. I didn’t know that we could do both at the same time.”

Worry and faith are incompatible. If we have faith, there is no need to worry, and if we worry, we do not need to pray. One seems to cancel out the other.

Many would argue that it is impossible not to worry at least some of the time. But, listen to Paul: “Don’t worry about anything,” he said. “Instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need and then thank Him for all He has done” and is going to do!

Maybe that’s the key to avoid worrying: When we thank God for all that He has done for us, we can see His hand at work in our lives. And, rather than worrying about what might or might not happen, we can see that what has happened has benefitted us in one way or another. When we have this attitude, we will realize that God is protecting us and providing for our every need.

Paul advised the church members at Philippi to turn their worries into prayers. He wanted them to have a strong faith, deep trust, and sincere belief in the Lord for all things. And, think of this: If our faith and trust belief are weak, worrying won’t help.

 Prayer:  Lord, increase our faith to exceed the size of our fears and our trust to be large enough to combat the uncertainties of life. May we become steadfast and sure. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

 Scripture For Today: Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Philippians 4:6