Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. (Phil.4:6, NIV)

Do not be anxious! Easier said than done, right? But I do think that we can either worry or pray. We can’t do both. Either we worry and keep focusing on our problems. Or we pray and surrender to God.

We are instructed to go to God with everything. With our joys, our sorrows, our troubles, our emptiness. Whatever it is we are experiencing in life we are instructed to bring it to God. We are to present our requests to God. We are to live our lives rooted in God’s grace.

Very often we manage only “as you know” prayers. That’s fine: God already knows everything about us and our lives, we don’t need to repeat everything. We can just enjoy being in the presence of the Holy Spirit and being restored.

So, whatever it is that you are experiencing in your life: don’t panic! Pray instead! The power of prayer is amazing. It surprises us time after time. Probably the most difficult step in prayer is to choose to give up worrying and enter into the presence of God in prayer.

Yet,
God is always waiting for us to turn to him.
God knows what we need before we have any idea of it.
God wants us to leave anxious thoughts and wearisome worries behind us.
God wants to give us inner peace in the midst of our troubles.
God wants to bless us with his wild grace.

Yes, Lord!
Take our worries!
Give us your peace!
Bless us with your grace!
Come, Lord Jesus!
Amen

Q4U: How do you handle worrying?