Turn Our Worries Into Prayers

What would a life without worry look like? For some of us that would be impossible. Worry is going to creep into our thoughts nearly every single day.

We worry about small things and big things. What the weather will be like that day so we can dress appropriately, whether or not we will get the cold virus that is going around, to how will we get the money to pay that unexpected bill that came in the mail this month. There is always something to worry about.

When I worry, it seems that I build my worries up in my head, especially if I am worrying in the middle of the night. A thought pops into my head and I will build it up and dwell on it all day or night if it is not something I can solve right at that moment. I will allow myself to worry and fret over it until it is a heavy weight tied around my neck. It carries me down all day and I take it from place to place with me.

This passage in Philippians reminds us that we are not supposed to carry these burdens around with us. When we get in this habit of worrying, it is hard to change our thought pattern away from it. Once our thoughts form a habit, it is difficult to change that path we are on. We are stuck in a rut the same way a car gets its wheels stuck in deep ruts. Once we are there, it’s hard to get out of that rut and onto a new track. Matthew 26:42 tells us how weak the flesh is. Our spirit is willing to get out of the rut of worry, but our flesh is too weak to do it on our own. This is when we must rely on the Holy Spirit to help us out of that rut.

I have written on prayer life many times and you can go back and read the other posts devoted to prayer, but our prayer life is directly related to our relationship with God. It is the fuel that keeps the relationship going, and so often we fail to go to God first in prayer. Instead, we worry and try to fix situations on our own. When we can’t do it on our own, we then turn to a friend or our spouse to help us. When we’re still struggling, then we may turn to God and ask for help. Instead of going to God in prayer first, we turn to the world in hopes of a quick fix.

Paul tells us in Philippians that it is worthless to worry on our own. It does not bring us to a conclusion or add anything to our lives. Well, it may add something to our lives. Worrying adds frown lines, high blood pressure, fear, and doubt into our lives that our supposed to be filled with joy, peace, patience, and contentment. Matthew 6:27 asks a profound question, “Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?” Not only can we not add an hour to our lives by worrying, but we diminish our hours of productivity by worrying. I can’t tell you how many hours I have wasted worrying. Instead of praying and giving my concern to God, then walking away from it, I spend countless hours worrying about it and trying to find my own solution.

If we are to go to God in prayer instead of worrying, what do those prayers look like? First of all, there is no wrong way to pray. You can take your worry to God in the form of a complaint, lament, plead, confession, or intercessory. Your prayers are your own. They are in your words, feelings, emotions, and straight from your heart. Paul tells us the only thing we need to make sure and include in our prayers of concern is thanksgiving. Look at the world around you, what has God done that you can be thankful for? Not everything in our lives brings us to a place of worry. Before you take your request to God, thank Him for what He has done for you. Start with the basics, you are alive, and He is with you. You may be worrying about your health. You may be lonely and worrying how you will survive the death of a loved one. You may be fearing where your life is going and looking for answers. The one thing you can rely on without worrying is that God is always with you, and He is taking care of you. Thank Him for that very reason. When you remember you are not alone, your worries seem to diminish.

With each word we give to God, our worries grow smaller and smaller. We are brought to trust in Him and reminded that He is in control. He sometimes in our desperation gives us quick answers that proves He is all-powerful. The more we lean on God through prayer, the more we create a new track of dependence on God and less dependence on ourselves through a worried heart. When we continuously give everything to God, our old habit of worry gets overtaken with a habit of prayer.

One step at a time, you can get out of the rut of worry.

Digging Deeper:

Read Matthew 6:25-34.

What are you worrying about today?

Stop what you are doing right now and go to God in prayer. Take your worry to God through a prayer of thanksgiving, petition, and confession.