Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. (Phil. 4:6)

Needless Worry

Worrying comes so naturally to many of us, we can easily justify it despite the misery it causes. And it does cause misery. Lots of misery. The truth is, worry shrinks our world, steals our energy, and quenches our hope. On the other side of the ledger, there really are no benefits to worry. Yes, we do need to be concerned about things and take appropriate action when necessary. And, yes, we will need to overcome our fears—faith is not the absence of fear—but worry is still useless. It’s still pointless. It still doesn’t make things better.

The Solution

Philippians 4:6 is one of the most useful verses in the Bible. It tells us straight up: “Don’t worry about anything!” No exceptions. Things may be falling apart everywhere around you, but don’t worry!

Leave it to our faithful God, however, not to remove the negative without replacing it with a positive. (Worry naturally fills the void.) We’re told the solution to worry: “prayer and petition with thanksgiving.” Every time we catch ourselves beginning to worry, we know it’s time to start praying, ask Him for help, and thank Him for being who He is and for being fully capable of supplying what we need. This isn’t always easy. Worry actually seems more practical sometimes, but it isn’t. Give God’s advice a try.

Bottom Line

Worry will do you in if you let it. So don’t. Choose by faith and exercise your God-empowered will to pray instead of worry.

Stand Firm Day by Day: Let Nothing Move You (Nashville, TN: B&H Books, 2013).