In peace I will both lie down and sleep, for You, Lord, alone make me dwell in safety and confident trust. ~Psalm 4:8 (AMP)
Many times, our thoughts can be disturbing, especially when we face problems that remain seemingly unsolved. Sometimes those thoughts are not easy to turn off and can threaten to rob us of our peace and good rest. But worrying will not change or improve our situation at all. It has been said that worry is the down payment on something you would never buy. Who would put a down payment on something they didn’t want to buy? Many of us do this every day when we waste our time and energy worrying about things we hope won’t ever happen. The truth is that worry is just anticipation that has given way to fear. When worry makes that crossover and our anticipation turns to fear, it's time to turn our thought life around! We need to practice anticipating the good things God has planned for our lives. We need to evaluate our self-talk and start anticipating awesome blessings coming our way. When summer hits and it starts getting hot, we reach for the thermostat in complete faith and expectation that things are about to cool off. Yet when we pray, do we believe that action is going to produce anything? God says it will. He tells us to go to Him when we are weary and bogged down with burdens and He will give us rest. He tells us in James 5:16 “The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.” (NIV) When we rise from our prayer time, we should feel our burdens lifted. We should feel rested because we have taken our cares and our concerns to the Lord. Our hearts should go into our prayer closet heavy, but they should never leave that way. If they are, then we might want to linger a little longer at that well of living water.
We would do good to remember that our peace is determined by our perspective. When we have the perspective or viewpoint that God is in control and has our best interest at heart, we can rest assured He is working everything we see together for the best possible outcome. Taking our concerns to God in prayer should make a terrible situation seem not so terrible because we are looking to someone bigger than ourselves for help. We are looking to our Heavenly Father who loves us completely. Our time with God should inspire confidence and peace that brings with it the expectation that the Lord has our back and will act on our behalf. God tells us in the book of James that a double minded person should not expect anything from God. A double minded person is someone who asks but doubts. A single-minded person is someone who asks and believes. When you find yourself worrying about something, let that be your cue to share your concerns with God and ask for His help. He tells us in His Word to cast our cares on Him, so give your worries to Him and trust Him to provide a solution. Then show Him you are counting on Him to help you by remaining at peace and resting while you wait for His guidance and answers. If God is the only one who can do something about a situation, wouldn't we do best to give it to Him? Worrying isn’t going to get the job done, but God will! Show the Lord how much you trust Him today by thanking Him before you ever see the answer manifested!
Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life? ~12:25 (NIV)
What cares and concerns have you given to God today?
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