If you pray why worry…

March 7th, 2009

and if you worry why pray?  I remember hearing this saying years ago and it really hit home.  Back then I would find myself praying for something and shortly after the prayer my mind was back focused on a worry.  Today I know worry and anxiety are both self-focused and self absorbed conditions.  I try my best to not be into self these days as that is one of the primary “isms” of alcoholism and other addictions, as well as co-dependency and nonclinical depression, (i.e. the pity pot).  I also know that there is only one thing that ever gets in the way of me and Jesus and the subsequent fruits he blesses me with, and that is self.

Paul tells us in Philippians 4:6-7 “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”  Yes, this is the same Paul who prior to converting to Christianity, found peace by torturing and killing Christians.  

I try to follow this simple verse whenever I pray.  Paul tells us to not be anxious about anything but to pray earnestly, humbly and with thanksgiving in all  situations.  Although he encourages us to let it “all hang out” when he says “let your requests be known to God,” he clearly reminds us to be humble and grateful as we are praying.  Humility and gratitude are keys in getting out of self when we pray and in turn this allows God in.  Sometimes the most effective prayer is when we simply say “Thy will be done.”

The gift of earnest yet humble prayer is a peace we are unable to fathom, a peace which “surpasses all understanding.“  This peace in turn guards our hearts and minds from anxiety and worry, as well as from our own self-induced depression.  Humble prayer allows us to tap into the Holy Spirit and the Holy Spirit is a free gift we receive by saying “yes” to Jesus. 

The bumper sticker “Know Jesus Know Peace….No Jesus No Peace” is a simplified version of Philippians 4:6-7.

P.E.A.C.E.