Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Philippians 4:6 MSG
The natural human reaction to things we do not understand is worry. It comes very naturally to all of us at different times and stages of our lives. Various human milestones also generate these feelings: change of school, work, marriage, location and others. Because we are not very certain of all the details ahead, we fret over the things we do not know or cannot control. Even when we have laid out very detailed plans, there is that grey area of uncertainty that wants to hold our hearts and make us wonder if we have actually done the best we could. Is it possible then to never worry about anything?
Is there anything I can change by a good, long bout of worry? Is there any record of worry being the one single factor that changed a situation from bad to good? The Sermon on the Mount, at the beginning of the earthly ministry of Jesus, also made this clear: worry changes nothing. I cannot change my height by meditation, neither can I change my skin colour by positive confession. The one ingredient that Jesus recommends as the appropriate response to situations around me is to pray. The amazing thing about either worrying or praying is that the world may not see you pray or worry, but give it time, and the evidence of the one you have fed will be made manifest.
So, when the next bout of worry threatens, recognise it for what it is: an attempt to get you to shift focus from the God who is bigger than the cause of the worry to the cause of the worry itself. If the devil is able to get me fixated on the size of the problem, I will not be able to appreciate the size of the God who is able to deal with all that worries me. That is why God prescribes the solution to worry here: pray. When I pray, I am telling God that I recognise and acknowledge his power, ability and capacity to deal with all that worries me. When I pray, I am telling God to step in and take charge of the situation. Don't forget: prayer cannot be a rehearsal of the worry before God, but total submission to God's will and an invitation for him to do as he pleases.
Petitions, praises and prayers form an unbeatable combination. I can come and cry before God, even if it is about my worries, but I must come with a heart that knows that God can deal with them. Why waste my time if I know that as soon as I finish praying, I will pick up the worries again and go with them? If I do not accept that God has power to save, why did I bother to come before him then? I must not spend the time arguing with God or complaining about my lot in life; I just simply talk to God about my concerns. That is all I am asked to do; power to address the concerns do not lie in me, but God is able to do so. Therefore, I just pray and ask for his help. That is all that is expected of me. What would you do about your concerns today? Pray or worry? God's time of favour is here.
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