Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. –Philippians 4:6-7
M.R. DeHaan once shared in the “Daily Bread” the following about worry, “I once read about a paratrooper in the US Army who had made more than 50 successful parachute jumps without a single serious injury. But the first day back home after being discharged, he stumbled over a rug, fell against a table, and broke four of his ribs! He had worried a great deal about his parachute jumps, but then something happened he had never worried about: He tripped over a rug.” (MRD, Our Daily Bread, April 26, 2001)
I believe that like the paratrooper in the example above, we also often worry so much about things that never happen. I stumbled across a quote by Ian Maclaren this morning that paints a great picture of what worrying does to us; “What does your anxiety do? It does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow, but it does empty today of its strength. It does not make you escape the evil; it makes you unfit to cope with it when it comes. God gives us the power to bear all the sorrow of His making, but He does not guarantee to give us strength to bear the burdens of our own making such as worry induces.” Worry robs us of precious opportunities to do what is right, to be productive, to be happy, etc.
I struggled for a very long time with the issue of worry. I often worried about whether or not I was good enough for God, I worried about what people thought of me, I worried about what the outcome of certain situations would be, I worried about not knowing what God’s will for my life was. At the end of the day, I found myself literally paralyzed by fear. I was not motivated to pray or to do the things that I knew to do. This is what worrying does to us; it paralyzes us!
I believe that Paul knew this, and perhaps had experienced it in his life as well. To the Church in Philippi and to you and me, he warned; do not be anxious about anything. That is, as Christ said in Matthew 6:25-27, “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body….Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?” Being anxious does not benefit anyone in anyway, it can actually be very harmful. If we must be concerned, let us only be concerned about those things that we plan to do something about, like studying for an exam, putting a better effort into your work, etc.
Paul further advices, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. When we turn to God in prayer with thanksgiving, we take the focus off ourselves and turn it to God. When we give thanks, we are forced to think about the greatness of God and remember the things He has done in our lives and in the lives of others.
When we turn from worry (focusing on ourselves) to prayer and thanksgiving (focusing on God), we realize how big God is, and the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard our hearts and our minds in Christ Jesus.
My challenge to you today dear friends is this; whenever you are tempted to worry or become anxious about anything, turn to God in prayer with thanksgiving, and see if He does not give you peace.
Grace and peace be with you.
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PARALYSIS BY WORRY