Theme: Don’t Worry, Be Praying!

Verse: Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. (John 14:1)

Last week we discussed planning. Some of those who know me are aware that I tend to plan things to the extreme. I ask “what if” about 15 times more than the average person. It doesn’t matter if it is writing a contract proposal for work, preparing the next group workout, or considering how the group is going to celebrate the next set of birthdays, I think I’ve heard the phrase hundreds of times, “Don’t worry, Dave, let it go, it will be just fine”.

So, I apologize up front, this week is one of those devotionals I’m writing to myself. You all get to come along for the ride.

While prudent planning is a good thing, WORRY about the eventual outcome has no redeeming value. Worry is truly GOOD FOR NOTHING. Human nature is such that we like CERTAINTY and CONTROL. Unfortunately, the higher we move on those two scales the lower we move on the TRUST scale. Low levels of trust lead to WORRY.

So, in a world where CERTAINTY and CONTROL are never absolute, how do we bridge the gap and not fall into WORRY? Philippians 4:6 gives us the answer. “In nothing be anxious; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving LET YOUR REQUESTS BE MADE KNOWN TO GOD.”

LET YOUR REQUESTS BE MADE KNOWN, also known as prayer! Yes, Prayer is that bridge! Max Lucado says, “No one can pray and worry at the same time.” Prayer is being in real communication with God not necessarily to let Him know what we need (He already knows). Rather, it is a way to open the lines of communication so that we can hear God’s voice telling us how to navigate the life conundrum we currently face.

With apologies to Bobby McFarrin, this week’s call to action to avoid worry is a paraphrase of his greatest hit.

Don’t Worry, Be Praying!

Adapted from True Competitor by Dan Britton and Jimmy Page