Two-minute read.
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.”
Philippians 4:6
Becoming prayerful instead of anxious changes how we approach the future. Anxiety, as I define it, either focuses on something that COULD happen in the future or DID happen in the past. For instance, in 2012, a taxicab t-boned my rental car as I drove to work in Northern Virginia, totaling the vehicle. As a result, I battle anxiety while driving from past experiences that could happen again in the future. When that anxious thought enters my mind, I lift it in prayer to the Lord, thanking Him for protecting me then and trusting Him to protect me now.
Prayer answers anxiety because it takes captive the fretful thoughts and turns them into an attitude of worship as we focus on God’s sovereignty. As we make plans, whatever our circumstances, we trust God to hear our petitions and provide whatever we need to complete our task. Only the Lord controls the future, living beyond the confinements of time we understand; he sees the entire story, whereas we only see the present moment. We will never move forward if we let our anxious thoughts control our actions. But trusting God and relying on Him will give us the strength to take the steps necessary to continue the journey.
The Creator doesn’t want us to live with stomachs tied in knots, unable to eat or sleep as our minds worry about what “could” happen. God wants us to live fully and completely, trusting in Him, abundantly living in the moment, and enjoying every nuance. We can experience life to the fullest when we turn our anxieties into prayers and trust the Lord to provide all we need.
Praise:
Praise God for hearing our prayers and answering our needs.
Prayer:
Lord, thank You for hearing our prayers, caring about our anxieties, and providing what we need to take the next steps in our journey. Please help us stay focused on You, identify our anxious thoughts, and immediately turn them into prayers. Give us victory over fretful thoughts.
IJNIP. Amen
