"Be anxious for nothing, but in everything through prayer . . .
let your requests be made known unto God."
let your requests be made known unto God."
Philippians 4:6
Welcome to 2013. Have you made any New Year's resolutions? Normally, I never make resolutions. They are so often broken. Nevertheless, Philippians 4:6 is a worthy resolution.
One man had a novel way of dealing with his worries. He was a businessman. He wrote his worries on slips of paper. Then, he put them in a worry box. At the end of the week, after eating a good meal at lunch, he opened his worry box. To his amazement, most of his worries were already resolved. We often worry about things that never happen.
One man had a novel way of dealing with his worries. He was a businessman. He wrote his worries on slips of paper. Then, he put them in a worry box. At the end of the week, after eating a good meal at lunch, he opened his worry box. To his amazement, most of his worries were already resolved. We often worry about things that never happen.
There is a way out of worry. It's called prayer. Our prayers are directed toward a loving, heavenly Father who really cares about us. He cares about every detail of our lives. Prayer is talking to Father about all of our needs and problems. It's trusting Him with all the things beyond our control, understanding that nothing is beyond His control. We have the right to ask our heavenly Father to give us our daily bread, lead us not into temptation and deliver us from evil. Most of all, we may ask that His will be done, which is always good, acceptable and perfect (Romans 12:2).
We have a choice. Will we worry or pray? Some of us choose another option. We may pray and continue to worry. Prayer that defeats worry is connected to faith. It's faith in God. We pray for courage to change the things that we can. We pray for grace to accept the things that we cannot change. We ask God for wisdom to know the difference.
Prayer: Father, we choose Your grace and care over all our worries. We cast all of our anxious cares upon You, knowing that You care for us through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
