Worried? Then pray

Jesus doesn't want us to spend any time worrying. During his 'Sermon on the Mount', he essentially writes worry off as useless: 'Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life' (Matthew 6:27 NIV)? He's right of course.

But we can't always stop worrying that easily. Paul's advice to worriers in his letter to the Philippians seems too simple, but it is mega-useful: pray. Let's replace bad habit with good habit. Let's not hold back the things we're stressing about from God. He's big enough, and wise enough, to handle anything we have swirling around our heads. In fact, one of the names for the Holy Spirit is 'Counsellor', so helping us when we feel overwhelmed is one of his specialties.

Praying about worry can sometimes feel like 'just the Christian task to do', but it's actually how we put ourselves in the hands of the Father who comforts us. It's no meaningless task. The next time we feel particularly worried about something, let's take Paul's advice and just pray. We don't have to feel guilty about not having had our eyes fixed on God in the past. At any time, we can turn to him and he will still smile, kneel and pick us up.



So what now? Every time you worry about something today, even the smallest thing, write it down. Then, say a prayer about it. And thank Jesus each time a worry is dealt with.





— SCRIPTURE —

'God has not given us a spirit of fear.' 2 Timothy 1:7 NKJV
— SOULFOOD —

1 Ki 18:16-20:43, Mark 9:38-50, Ps 113, Pro 12:15-17