6-7 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.
Philippians 4:6-7 (MSG)
One way the devil compels us to worry is by deceiving us to think that if you are not worried, then you don’t care. Nothing could be further from the truth. A person who truly cares will place the issue in the Hands of the only One who can do something about it.
Imagine you have a sick baby and you know a skilled doctor who can take care of that baby. Would a caring parent try to fix the baby himself by freaking out over the situation or would he release that baby into the doctor’s care to do what needs to be done?
There is no one better skilled than our Awesome God to handle any and every issue that arises in our lives. When we worry and stress out, we’re taking matters into our own hands, and we usually make a mess of things. But when we cast our care on the Lord, He takes it upon Himself to move on our behalf.
I used to be addicted to worrying. Even if I didn’t have anything to worry about per se, I would try to look for things to worry about to occupy my mind. Then, when everything would turn out ok, I would accredit it all to my deep concern over the matter. What senseless arrogance.
Thankfully, as I matured in my relationship with Jesus Christ, God began to teach me how to let the Holy Spirit guide my thinking. He showed me that my mind was spinning out of control, and it was robbing me of what He wanted to do in the present moment.
All we really have is this present moment, and that’s where God lives. He is I AM, not “I was” or “I will be.” He has something He wants to show you right now. But if we’re fretting about the past or worrying about the future, then there’s a disconnect between our souls and our spirits, and we’ll miss it.
Worse, worry is an expression of a lack of trust towards God, our loving Father. If He takes care of the itty, bitty sparrows, how can we possibly think He won’t take care of us? It’s insulting to God to give into the spirit of worry—it’s just plain evil.
Fortunately, the Bible gives us a wonderful, sure-fire antidote to this deadly virus. Philippians chapter 4 tells us to replace worrying with prayer.
”But I don’t know how to pray,” you might say. That’s ok, just ask God to show you. I don’t think anyone really knows how to pray, but that’s why God has given us the Holy Spirit to lead us and guide us into all truth.
When we allow the Holy Spirit to guide our prayers, that’s when the power comes in! That’s when prayer becomes effortless. I used to wonder how it could be possible to pray unceasingly according to 1 Thessalonians 5:17. Why would God want us to do that? Doesn’t He want us to have jobs, and go to school, and talk to unbelievers? How can you be doing all that and still be praying at the same time?
It works much the same way stress does. You can be stressed out and still be doing your job or having a conversation with someone. In the same way, we can be totally yielded to the Spirit of God and do all the things He’s called us to do. The only difference is giving in to stress and fear will lead to your destruction, while giving in to the Holy Spirit will lead to life and peace! (See Romans 8:6)
The Holy Spirit will always place Jesus front and center in our lives. With Jesus at the center, everything else just falls into place. Instead of being consumed with fear, you’ll be overwhelmed with satisfaction. You’ll be right where you need to be all the time. You’ll speak words of life and laugh with joy instead of complaining or yelling out curses. Instead of being tossed about like a wave in the ocean, you’ll rise above the storm.
God is for you not against you. So, with Him on my side, I’m not scared; I’m satisfied.
