Are Your Worried?

There are three words used by Paul in Philippians 4:6 that describe what we are to be doing instead of worrying.

1. Prayer.

The word Paul used here is the most common word for talking to God--prayer. It refers to prayer in general and is most likely related to the worship aspect of prayer. When we pray, we are to acknowledge God's greatness and give Him our adoration, devotion, and respect.

Recognizing God as the sovereign Lord, we are to bring our worries to Him.

2. Supplication.

The second word Paul used in describing his alternative to worry is supplication. This refers to the expressing of our needs to God. These are our earnest requests, our desperate cries for help. These supplications can be for ourselves or for others.

When you are worried, take that worry to God. Ask for His help. Earnestly petition Him. The God who told us to ask, seek, and knock will give, help us find, and answer (Matt. 7:7-8).

3. Thanksgiving.

The third word describing the prayers that are to replace our worry is thanksgiving. Sometimes we become so concerned with our problems that we forget the gracious ways God has worked in the past. We fail to see that He has dealt with us according to His grace and mercy and has met all of our needs. It helps to calm us when we remember how God has cared for us in the past.

When we pray as an alternative to worry, we are removing the burden from our shoulders and placing it on the broad shoulders of Almighty God. And once we trust Him with our cares, we can thank Him for being the kind of God who loves us, who is keenly interested in our problems, and who has the power to answer our prayer.

Bring your vulnerabilities to the One who has the power to do something about them. When you wake up at night worried about your brother or your job or your little boy, pray. Train your mind to stop and redirect all the energy from worry, which is destructive, to prayer, which is constructive. Ask God to help, to intercede, to convict, to open a door, to work the kind of miraculous change only He can work.

When you're overwhelmed by the frightening prospects of the future, pray. Express your apprehensions to the Lord. Turn them over to Him. While you're waiting for a traffic light and you're worrying about paying the bills, pray. Ask God to provide, then move on. God hears your prayers.

In an article in Focal Point, a publication of Denver Seminary, Paul Borden gave a good action suggestion for worriers. He recommended making a worry list. When you're worried about something, write it down. Perhaps it's the health of your aging mother, or replacing the refrigerator, or changing churches. Write it down. It will help you when you see that specific worry in black and white.

Next, turn that worry list into a prayer list. Pray about those things you are concerned about. Pray about them specifically. You'll be pleased at how much that will help keep those worries from crippling and controlling you.

Then Borden suggested that you turn that prayer list into an action list. As God gives you insight and confidence, do something about those cares. Even if you only do a little, you'll soon find that a paralyzing anxiety is replaced by a healthy, manageable concern for the responsibilities of life.

Are you worried? Pray. If you've done that, pray again. Use the energy of worry to pray instead.

Author: Unknown. I received this article via email and not sure who the actual author is.