Not to worry
Don't worry about anything, but in all your prayers ask God for what you need, always asking him with a thankful heart. And God's peace, which is far beyond human understanding, will keep your hearts and minds safe in union with Christ Jesus. Philippians 4 : 6 - 7 (GNB) |
The passage that this week's quote is taken from is simply headed "Instructions" in the Good News Bible. Two of these instructions can be found in our quote which we will take a look at today.
The first instruction tells us not to worry about anything. The second tells us to ask God for what we need in our prayers.
Let's take a few moments to explore each of these a little more. Notice that this first instruction isn't "only worry about what is important" or "limit your worrying to this... but instead is do not worry about anything.
Dont worry about the little things. Don't worry when you are caught in a traffic jam and risk being late for work. Don't worry about the big things either. Don't worry about your health, or the health of your family and friends. Don't worry about your job or what your boss has told you to do. Don't worry about the economy, or wars, or anything else on your mind.
At this point it is probably worth noting that not worrying is not the same as not caring. I am not saying that you should not care about anything, quite the opposite! However, what I am saying is that there is a better way to deal with these things than worrying about them. The best way (as we are told in instruction two) is to tell God about them by praying to him. He cares about you and what you are going through, even in the most daunting situations.
This week don't waste your energy worrying about the big and small things in your life. Just remember that God is the one you can depend on to get you through it. So make sure you keep him in the loop!
This weeks song is I Lift My Hands by Chris Tomlin. |
Header image by: Alon via Flickr