Why pray when you can worry?

This is what my husband sometimes teases me about, because by nature I am a worrywart.  I know that I should pray and not worry, but sometimes it seems like it’s too hard to try and put that into practice.

We had been on the mission field of Kenya for five years when our daughter Bethany was born.  We had no reason to think that anything unusual was going on with the pregnancy, until my water broke six weeks early.  Maybe it was all those bumpy dirt roads. Anyway, after a short labor, she was born, and I think I was in shock, because I really didn’t have any thoughts that all would not be well.

Right after birth, they whisked her away to the nursery, and later, when I was in my room, they came and told us she was having trouble breathing, and that they had to put in an IV and were giving her oxygen to help her breathe until her lungs developed.

It wasn’t until later, after I actually saw her in the incubator with all the tubes and wires hooked up to her, that the worrying thoughts kicked in.

One passage of scripture that came to my mind immediately was Philippians 4:6-7—I still struggled with roller coaster emotions on a daily basis, but whenever I found myself getting low, I would read/ quote this verse, and God used it to give me peace in the midst of a difficult situation.  We were in the hospital for twelve days, while we waited for her lungs to develop, and then jaundice, and recovery from that, and to make sure she could eat, etc.  During all those days and long nights, God drew me close to him through his word, and showed me that yes, he would give peace in the midst of a storm.

Let’s look at these two verses a little closer for a few minutes:

We are to be careful, or to be anxious for nothing—the nothing means “not even one thing” That doesn’t seem very realistic, humanly speaking.  Doesn’t God know what 21^st century life is like?  Those people in Bible days, what did they know about stress?  What did they have to worry about?

Well, we know from the earlier chapters in Philippians that they were facing persecution, there were problems in the church, and some people were having to struggle just for the necessities of life—so they did know what stress and problems were all about.

The only way we can keep from worrying is supernatural power, and that comes from God in the form of the peace of God.  The answer to worry and anxiety is the peace of God.  God is the only one that can enable us to conquer worry and fear and anxiety.

Concern drives us to get up and tackle life’s problems, but worry paralyzes us with fear.

So, we are to be anxious for no-thing—but—in every- thing—by prayer—and Paul is very specific as he tells us what to do

First of all Prayer—is talking about our devotional time of prayer and worship

Supplication—these are the times of prayer that we focus on special needs—when we pour out our heart and soul to God—we are God’s child, and we come before Him begging and pleading for his help

With Thanksgiving—thanking and praising God for all he has done for us

Let your requests be made known unto God—this means our specific and definite requests—God doesn’t want us to be general, but to be specific-

In everything we are to pray like this—all day long as we go about our daily routine, we have our time of devotion, we might struggle in prayer when we are facing times of deep need, we can thank God as we go through our day to day life, and we ask God to do specific things as we are going throughout the day

We are also to pray about everything, no matter how small it may seem to us.  God is interested in us, He wants to be involved in everything.

And then what is the promise that comes in verse 7 as we are doing these things:  And the peace of God—peace means to be bound, joined, and woven together.  It means we can be assured, confident, and secure in the love and care of God.  We know that God will provide, guide, strengthen, sustain, deliver, encourage save, and give real life both now and forever.

We can only experience the peace of God as we pray—because only God can give this supernatural assurance and security in the tragedies and difficult circumstances of life.

It says the peace of God, which passes all understanding.  It’s something that we can explain, we can’t get on our own, because it’s like God is carrying us through the trial that we are going through.

Also, God’s peace keeps our hearts and minds—the word “Shall Keep” is a military term that means to garrison, to keep guard and to protect.  Imagine the peace of God like an elite soldier who guards and protects the most precious possession of God—the believer’s heart and mind.

John 14:27—Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you.  Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

Isaiah 26:3—Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on thee:  because he trusteth in thee.

Psalm 29:11—The Lord will give strength unto his people:  the Lord will bless his people with peace.

Eventually, after 12 days in the hospital, Bethany’s lungs developed enough that she could go home.  I have had many more times in my life where I have had to call on the Lord, and pray, supplicate, thank, and let my requests be made known to God.  I am thankful for God’s peace, that was guarding my heart and my mind during a time in my life when I could have given into worry and anxiety.

PS-Bethany is now all grown up, and is a nurse in the Neo-natal ICU in our local hospital. J

Pam Konnerup