Don't Worry, Pray

December 11

Today's Bible Reading

Don't Worry, Pray

Philippians 4:6-7

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

We are anxious people. Worry, anxiety, and apprehension seems to rule our days. It often dominates our thoughts and debilitates us. We become sick from worry. It affects all of us. Some with greater intensity than others, but we all experience it.

Our text brings hope for those held by anxiety. It gives comfort for those crippled by conscious and weighted down by worry. It can establish faith in the midst of our overpowering fears and dispel doubt in our darkest dilemmas.

It proclaims that peace is possible. That freedom is accessible. Prayer is its path. It is the door of our deliverance. Worry doesn’t have to win. It need not hold us hostage or influence our thinking. Relief is in reach. Hope is on the horizon. Help is at hand.

It seems simplistic, but supplication is the solution. Placing our concerns before the creator is our cure. Help emerges when we hand Him what’s holding us. We are told that in everything we are to pray. Whether our anxiety is massive or minuscule, we are to lay it before the Lord. We are to leave our worries with Him, transferring what troubles us to Him. We must release them to Him. It is then that we will acquire His aid for our anxiety.  

Our request generates His response. Anxiety leads to agitation, distress and discord within. Worry wages war within our mind and heart. It causes despair and depression. The Savior brings serenity to our disquieted being. He instills a peace that surpasses our comprehension. He creates a calm that quietens our soul. He does this by placing a guard around our heart and mind. A protector to push aside our anxious thoughts and feelings. Thus, He keeps anxiety at bay.

We need not let anxiety fill our thoughts and flood our heart. The solution is simple supplication. Prayer that is saturated in thankfulness is what tames out thoughts. Prayer redirects our attention off what brings anxiety and onto the Almighty. It brings Jesus to mind. Intercession stations a sentry around our mind to deflect doubt and around our heart to ward off worry. So don’t worry, pray holding to God’s promise of peace and protection for all who petition Him.

Today don’t let worry win. At the first sign of anxiety, address the Almighty. Petition Him to place a guard over your anxious thoughts. Plead with Him for peace in your perplexity. Ask Him to help you focus your feelings and transfer your thoughts on Him. Hand Him what you’re holding on to and He will handle it from there.