Don’t Be Anxious

People wonder: do I really worry?  Am I ever anxious?

I am just like anybody else, I guess.  But somebody gave me this passage about a year ago and it has been written upon my heart ever since:

Philippians 4:4-7 (ESV) Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Quite simply, all I can do is praise His name, give thanks and pray.

I went to my standard 5:45PM Saturday evening service which turned out to be Communion Service. After Communion ended, one of the pastors invited everybody that needed healing to come forward. Just them by themselves. I immediately stretched forth my hands and began to pray for those who needed healing. Not just those who were able to come forward but for all. The worship team lead into two of my favorite songs and I began praising Him, thanking Him and kept praying for healing for everybody.

I felt that I had to come back on Sunday morning and pray again for those needing healing.

I noticed that when I think about other people, I never worry about what my future holds. Lately, I am trying not to be anxious but I would be lying if I don’t think about it a little. I keep coming up with what I need to do, how can I approach my next job in this time of transition and can I serve in ministry? My faith is still absolute but I have to pray harder and harder every single time. I pray just for myself but I tend to simply pray for others with all the prayer requests that I have received.

When I think about others, joy and peace overwhelm me. One could argue that thinking of others gets your worries off of your mind. In a way, that is true. When I do pray for others, I am reminded on how incredible and awesome our God really is.

You might ask: what do you do with your worries and anxieties?  Simple, put them on God.  How?  Humble yourself before Him and let Him take care of it all:

1 Peter 5:6-7 (ESV) Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.

In other words, don’t think that you have to shoulder all of it.  That you have to have the power to take care of it all.  That you can fix it.  More than likely, you can’t.  God knows this.  That is why He wants you to place your trust in Him.

My only question: can we pray for you?