Why Pray when you can worry?

It seems that Worry is my spiritual gift. It's the one thing that I generally do quite well. (Calm down, you internet trolls, I know worry isn't a gift…)

For as long as I can remember, I have always exercised this gift. 

I’m not prejudice against worry. That is to say, I will worry about big things, and I will worry about small things. I will worry about a particular situation-- I would wonder how it would turn out: good or bad? I had no idea, I would just worry about that. 

I worry about going back into the hospital— this is, probably more fear that worry, but still. I’m worried about when/if I will ever work again. I’m worried about the kind of people my kids will turn out to be. 

So, what do I do about my worry? I worry! No, not really. Ok, sometimes I actually worry more than I pray. I'm a work in progress. 

I’m trying to remember a few key verses like these one:

John 14:1: “Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me.” For Jesus to have told us not to let our hearts be troubled, He would have to have known that we would, one day, be in a position where our hearts would be troubled. So He told us not to let our hearts be troubled. Instead, we are to trust God. Trust that God knows what He is doing with/in our lives. Trust that He sees the entire picture of our lives, and is making sense of the sometimes senseless. 

Here is another verse that I remember quite frequently: “Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?” (Matthew 6:27, NIV)

Of course! Worry doesn't add to our lives, it steals from our lives, and does no good at all— “But, I’m soooo gooooodddd at it…” Well, stop! It does nothing to add to your life… it only takes away, and why would we want to take away from our lives???

Here is another one, this time from the teachings of Paul: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Phil. 4:6-7, NIV)

How do I defeat the giant called worry in my life? I pray. A lot. This is what I'm supposed to do, (pray not worry) The same with you. If you are worried about anything— and I mean anything— we are invited to pray about it. 

There is a lot of junk going on in our world today that will cause a person to worry; there may be a lot of junk going on in your world that will cause a person to worry…. So, take a few moments when you feel yourself starting to worry and just pray. 

Maybe pray something like this: “Dear Lord, I’m worried about ___________. Please help me to deal with this, and to trust in You. 

Give it a try, and see how less time you spend worrying.