Worry is a Signal to Pray

When you think about it, it's really quite natural for us to worry about things. So much of the important stuff of life is out of our control, so when that one "thing" which can have a huge impact hangs precariously in the balance, we worry. I wonder, what are you worried about at the moment? A health outcome, finances, kids … any number of things, right? Sometimes we even find ourselves worrying incessantly about the trivial stuff. And the thing with worry is that it's self-perpetuating. The more you worry … the more you worry. It kind of leads you into a downward spiral and when you're in that place, you can't truly enjoy your life. But what if we looked at our worries in a whole different light? Writes the Apostle Paul from his prison cell on death row  … Philippians 4:6-7 Don't worry about anything, but pray and ask God for everything you need, always giving thanks for what you have. And because you belong to Christ Jesus, God's peace will stand guard over all your thoughts and feelings. His peace can do this far better than our human minds. Hmm. What if we took worry as a sign that we need to pray about it? If every time we find ourselves worrying, we recognise it as a prayer trigger – hang on, let's stop and pray into this – then the promise is that God's peace will stand guard over all our thoughts and feelings. That's so much better than anything you or I could ever conjure up. And that's God's Word. Fresh … for you … today.