Praying THROUGH the Worry
"Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life. Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. Put into practice what you learned from me, what you heard and saw and realized. Do that, and God, who makes everything work together, will work you into his most excellent harmonies." Philippians 4:6-9, MSG I absolutely love love this passage, especially the Message translation. I read this at just the moment when my soul was filled with worry and anxiety yesterday. You see, I come from a long line of worriers, as do a lot of us ;) But in some of my extended family, I've seen the repercussions it can have—affecting someone physically, spiritually, and emotionally and their relationships. The thing is, we don't usually see the damaging affects of long-lasting worry until they've already happened, almost like smoking and its affect on your lungs. I tend to worry and worry, little by little every day until one day I just collapse or explode in utter pain and exhaustion. I'm sure a lot of you can relate.
It's in the day-to-day that God has been showing me how I can lay down worry and avoid the potential fatal crash. And...it's so simple y'all.
PRAYER.
I find myself, especially now that I'm a mom, worrying about little to big things on a daily basis. But when I find myself worrying, I've learned to exercise my mind, heart, and spirit and discipline it into entering instant prayer. Whatever it is that is overcoming my thoughts in that moment, I simply say "God, I'm worried. God, I'm scared. God, what if this happens or my concern is this." Whatever it is, He already knows. So why don't I just pause and acknowledge His presence and verbally or mentally speak to Him about what's grappling at my very being in that instant?
Today, whatever is worrying you, submit it to prayer. Let those petitions be turned into prayers and praises. God's incredible wholeness will ease you. "It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life."
Focus, too, on the incredible things surrounding you. If I'm filled with worry concerning my child, I've learned to pray a prayer of thanksgiving that I even have a child and I end up praising God THROUGH whatever the situation is instead of only after it.
Praying THROUGH your worry today can change everything, absolutely everything—your attitude, faith, outcome, and so much more. "Do that, and God, who makes everything work together, will work you into his most excellent harmonies."
Praying through it all, Erica