Paul wrote: ‘The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God’ (Philippians 4:5-6 NIV). He then encourages us by saying that when we do this, the peace of God will fill our hearts and minds: ‘God’s peace, which is so great we cannot understand it, will keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus’ (Philippians 4:7 NCV). The moment we begin to worry or feel anxious about something, we need to take our concern to God in prayer, release the weight of it, and totally trust Him to either show us what to do, or show us that He’ll take care of it Himself. Prayer is powerful against worry. When we’re feeling under pressure, it’s always best to pray and tell God about it rather than fretting about it. This isn’t always easy to do, but with commitment, perseverance, and God’s help, we can learn to let Him carry our worries. Here are two things that’ll help: 1) Instead of trying to get rid of negative thoughts, which only keeps us focused on them, we should try to fill our minds with ‘the things that are good and worthy of praise. Think about the things that are true and honourable and right and pure and beautiful and respected’ (Philippians 4:8 NCV). 2) Take action quickly. As soon as we begin to worry, let’s try to say, ‘No, I’m not going to worry about this because it does no good,’ and give the worry to God to deal with. His Word says, ‘The Lord remembers us and will bless us.’

What Now?

Take a few moments today to thank God for being your burden-carrier. If you struggle to hand your worries to Him, ask Him to bring you a fresh sense of His peace today, and to help you trust Him more.