Don’t Worry
Is there an antidote for worry?
Verse of the Day
“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.”
Today’s Devotional
Today we begin a series on our thoughts. God has been inviting me for a couple of weeks to study what His Word says about my thoughts, because I have been struggling with my thought life. My mind has been wrestling with some mental turmoil that does not reflect the truths we find in the Word. By myself, I cannot change my thoughts. But with God’s help, I can use the power of the Bible to allow the Spirit to have unrestricted access to my mind. God changes things within us. Studying topics in the Bible that we struggle with is a great way to practice the discipline of study.
Today’s verse tells us not to worry. About anything. Many of my thought “issues” revolve around worry. And if there’s one thing the Bible seems to suggest about this, it’s that worrying is the opposite of trusting? If I really trust God, what do I have to worry about?
I find that very convicting. I don’t normally classify myself as an excessive worrier, but I would say that I am prone to stress. And for me, stress is just a different manifestation of worry. Stress is feeling the burdens of things that are too heavy for me. Probably burdens I am not meant to carry. When I am stressed, I can feel it physically in my body long before I am aware of the problem. Each type of person behaves differently in stress and worry. For me, it comes out as perfectionism. (Which, let me point out something. The pursuit of perfection for a HUMAN is the most ludicrous notion. Completely delusional. Yet still I do it. )
I love how this verse says “instead”. We are being given the prescription for not worrying. This prescription comes in three parts: Pray, tell God your needs, gratitude.
Pray: This version of the Bible says “pray about everything”. Other versions say to pray “in every situation”. I don’t know about you, but I do not pray all day every day. However, I have noticed some changes as I have studied and put work into my relationship with God. When I am centered and grounded, my mental dialogue is prayer. I am thinking TO God. My thoughts are directed TO Him. When I am not centered, my thoughts are a hot mess of worry and stress and nonsense. I think learning to pray in my thinking all throughout the day, in addition to some dedicated prayer time everyday, is what this verse is trying to help us practice. It’s hard to worry and pray at the same time. Prayer is an antidote for worry.
Tell God what you need: This one makes me smile and feel bashful all at the same time. Do you ever feel like God must get tired of hearing from you? I feel that way sometimes, even though I know He does not tire of us talking to Him or telling Him what we think we need. Even if we are whining to Him. Because if we are talking to God it means that we believe in Him. Notice that it says to tell God what you need, not what you want. Needs are different than wants. Personally, I tend to tell God what I need AND want, but always following that with a willingness to submit to His will, no matter what that is.
What I need most is summed up very nicely in the AA 11th step: “Praying only for the knowledge of His will for me and the power to carry that out.” I need to know God’s will for my day if I want to live in alignment with Him. Then I need His power to actually do those things. Telling God what I need is an antidote for worry.
Thank God for all he has done: There are few things that can change my attitude faster than finding things to be grateful for. Everything good I have in my life came from God. He deserves all the credit, even if your hands brought the blessing. I should be thanking you, and thanking God for putting you in my life. Just last night I made a list of things I was grateful for because I was struggling with something. Choosing gratitude changes our heart in the moment by changing our perspective. Gratitude is an antidote for worry.
The Message translation of the Bible says today’s verse like this: “Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns.” Shaping our worries into prayers. May that be our goal for this day.
Journal Prompts
Answer only the questions that seem relevant to you today.
Where do you struggle most with your thoughts?
What causes you the most worry?
What prayers do you need to write out to God today?
What do you need from God?
What do you need to thank Him for?
How can you practice your trust in God by shaping your worries into prayers?