Pray More Worry Less

What is your first reaction to stressful things in life? Do you worry or do you pray?

The Bible encourages us to pray about everything. Whether it's good or bad, God wants to hear from you. How do you react when things get challenging in this life? Be honest with yourself here. It's so easy to say that you pray and trust God through everything that happens but, in reality, that's not always the case. You might kick into survival mode and try to fix the problem yourself. You might close yourself off from the rest of the world and worry about the current situation and why it's happening the way it is. Everyone has a different reaction to stressful situations. The question is: Will you remember to pray about it?

I know that seems like a silly question at first. Why wouldn't you pray about it? We sometimes have a tendency to want to try fixing our problems on our own. When trying to fix a problem in our own way - are we really consulting God in prayer? Even if it seems like you know exactly what you're doing, I can guarantee that you are worrying more and praying less taking that approach to solving your problems. I don't know about you, but I really don't prefer living the life of worry. Why would you want to feel stressed, anxious, and unsure of your current life choices when you could just give it all to God? I'm not saying you won't feel any of those previously listed emotions when you give your problems to God, but you will feel better about it all - that's for sure. There's a certain peace you experience when you know that God has got your problems in His hands and that He will make a way for you. He hasn't failed anyone yet, right?

"So don't ever worry about tomorrow. After all, tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own" Matthew 6:34

I'm not going to lie, I actually became more familiar with this verse when I bought a water bottle sticker with the reference on it. I had known of it before, but I wouldn't say it was a verse I could even partially quote never mind recognize the reference. To put some context on this verse, it's actually at the end of an entire part of the Sermon on the the Mount where Jesus is telling everyone that they need to stop worrying. In verse 27 He asks them, "Can any of you add a single hour to your life by worrying?" Take that question into deep consideration the next time you find yourself starting to worry. There is no possible way you can add anything positive to your life by just worrying all the time. It's not healthy. I encourage you to find something that can help you calm down when you feel yourself getting too stressed or worried. Quite recently, I took up crocheting and building Lego sets for that very reason. I find it helps me to stop thinking too much and just find a calm place. I also encourage you to, as I've been writing, bring your problems to God and see what He will do with them.

One of my favorite verses is Philippians 4:6-7 which says, "Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus." This verse gives excellent advice for this life - don't worry about anything and pray about everything. It's definitely easier said than done at times, but the outcome is very desirable. When we stop worrying and start praying, the Bible promises us that we will experience God's peace. Not only will we experience this peace, but it will also guard our hearts and minds.

"You can pray for anything, and if you have faith, you will receive it." Matthew 21:22

Isn't that truth amazing? We can pray for anything and receive it as long as we have the faith for it! Did you know that prayer could be that powerful? We can pray for anything and we'll receive it. The only catch is that we have to have faith. We need to believe it's going to happen before God makes it happen. It sounds pretty simple, but it actually can be hard. It's easy to pray to God asking for Him to provide money for a new car you need. But can you have the faith to believe He will provide the money by the time you go to buy the car? It's not always as easy as it sounds. The more time you spend praying to God and diving into His Word, the easier it will become to put your faith in Him. To trust that God will make a way for you where there seems to be no way. Putting this verse into context of this blog post, you can pray for God to calm your worries and anxiety. As long as you have faith that God will follow through, He will. I pray that this has encouraged you to pray and ask God to intervene in a way that only He can. If you have faith, He will do it.

In a world where everyone is stressed out and worried all the time, I implore you to remember to set your eyes on the things above. If you worry or feel anxious most of the time - how can you enjoy this life? In 2 Timothy 1:7 we read that God hasn't given us a spirit of fear. Do you know what kind of spirit He has given us? One that is of power, love, and a sound mind. The next time you start to worry, stress, or feel anxious, I encourage you to pray to God and ask Him to give you His perfect peace. Remember to have the faith that He will follow through on what you're asking Him to do - that's half the battle right there! The more you ask God things in faith, the easier it will be to believe it will actually happen. When life starts becoming challenging, I encourage you to pray more and worry less.