Pray Or Worry: Which?

Each morning Josie and her Mom prayed together before she left for school. One morning after they prayed, Josie noticed a look of distress and concern on her Mom’s face.

Concerned, she said, “Mom, we just prayed together and thanked the Lord for everything we had and then told Him about everything we needed. I thought that if we prayed we wouldn’t have to worry. I didn’t know that we could do both.”

Worry and faith are actually incompatible. If we have faith there is no need to worry and if we worry we do not need to pray. One seems to cancel out the other.

Many would argue that it is impossible not to worry at least some of the time. But listen to Paul: “Don’t worry about anything,” he said. “Instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need and then thank Him for all He has done and will do.”

Maybe that’s the key to not worrying: When we thank God for all that He has done for us, we can see His hand at work in our lives. And rather than worrying about what might or might not happen, we can see what has happened and know that God is protecting us and providing for our every need.

Paul advised the church members at Philippi to turn their worries into prayers. He wanted them to have a strong faith and trust and believe in the Lord for all things. If our faith and trust are weak, worrying won’t help.

Prayer: Lord, increase our faith to exceed the size of our fears and our trust to be large enough to combat the uncertainties of life. May we become steadfast and sure. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Scripture for Today: Philippians 4:6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;