Destructive Worry

Philippians 4:6-7 says, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, 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.”

Worry leaves a path of destruction in its wake—it wears down your body, dulls your mind, and leaves you in a place where you end up spiraling into anxiety and depression because all you can see are your problems. It is for this reason (among many others) God instructs us so many times in His Word not to worry.

Paul taught us we should pray in every situation, large or small. He didn’t teach us to panic when we get bad news or when we become overwhelmed by our circumstances. He didn’t tell us to stress out when the worries of this life begin to pile up around us. He told us not to worry, but to pray.

Paul also taught us to be thankful as we bring our burdens to God. On the surface, this sounds crazy. But when we shift our focus from everything that seems so terribly wrong in our lives to the things that are wonderfully right, it eases some of the weight from our worries.

So what can we be thankful for? We can be thankful that we are able take our problems to God, and leave them there. We can be thankful for our problems themselves because they give us opportunities we never would have had when things were going smoothly—opportunities to learn how to trust God more deeply and to rely on His provision rather than on ourselves. And we can be thankful for the chance to be comforted by God Himself (Paul describes God in 2 Corinthians 1 as the God of all comfort!) as He loves on us and draws us close.

When we choose to bring our problems to God rather than getting mired down in worry, and when we choose to focus on all of His great gifts to us rather than on the things that make us fearful, we make room in our hearts and minds for God’s great gift of peace. This peace is our birthright as His children, but we tend to forget and we leave it sitting on the table.

This peace doesn’t make our problems go away, but it does protect us from being ravaged by fear and anxiety. The peace we receive won’t make much sense from a worldly perspective. The enemy will try to lie and convince us that we have no right to such a peace. He will try to tell us these problems are totally panic-worthy and that there is no way God can take care of them for us.

Don’t believe it. Jesus told us before He returned to heaven that He was leaving His peace as a gift to us (John 14:27). Are you going to trust the father of lies or are you going to trust Jesus? God’s desire for us as His children is to live an abundant life of peace and joy. Don’t allow the enemy to steal away that which is rightfully yours. Choose to be ruled by trust instead of worry!