Friend, I think everyone tends to worry. I know for me that when I start to worry, I lose my peace.
I am currently teaching a class called, JumpStart Your Peace, and I was preparing to give a devotional that came out of my book, Continuous Peace. As I read through the devotional it blessed me, especially the prayer. That is when I knew I wanted to share this devotional with you. I hope it blesses you! Let me know what you think.
Devotional 18
Worry Is the Fruit of Not Trusting God
An important part of releasing our worry is to recognize who we will run to in our time of need.
Who will we run to?
When a situation presents itself, we are to recall the Truth in Philippians 4:5 that The Lord
is near to us. This is the beginning of our peace. If we forget that our loving Lord is near, we will be prone to worry.
Worry is the fruit of not trusting God.
Philippians 4:4-7 (NASB)
Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near. 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 comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
We are instructed to not let our heart be anxious, because ALMIGHTY God is with us. Trust in Him. Be anxious for NOthing! He created all and He created you. He will carry you through with security and rest.
Psalms 91:1-2 (AMP)
He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will remain secure and rest in the shadow of the Almighty [whose power no enemy can withstand]. I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, My God, in whom I trust [with great confidence, and on whom I rely]!”
This scripture is a gift! We are told that we can dwell which means we can live and stay in the shelter of the Most High. When we dwell with God, we willremain secure and be able to restin His presence. Confidently we can depend on Him as our refuge and our fortress. He will keep us. What a great assurance we can have in Him!
When an anxiety or issue arises will we allow God to be our strong fortress?
He is close. We can share our heart with Him by letting Him know what we are afraid of or what is causing us to be anxious. This may take some thought because understanding why we are anxious is not always easily discerned.
It is helpful to write down what is causing us to doubt, worry or have anxiety.
Perhaps there is an ongoing habit of negative thinking, or something new that is causing anxiety today.
It could be a reminder of a past pain, or an unseen answer to a current situation.
It could be fear about the future. Maybe it is a health concern or a fear that something bad could happen.
It could be a rocky relationship, unhappy job, painful loss, or lack of having enough.
Perhaps it is a consistent frustration, doubt, loneliness, or place of anger.
After you specify your issue or anxiety, now take that very issue, fear, worry, concern, anger, sorrow, or frustration to God in prayer. Tell God exactly how you feel. He can handle it. He welcomes you to share your heart with Him.
Let your anxiety be known to God!
Prayer. Your prayer may sound something like this: “Lord, in this situation I am overwhelmed. It is even hard to know how to pray, but I release this entire concern to You. Lord, only You know the way that this situation can work itself out. I pray you provide everyone, and everything needed to bring it to a good completion. I pray that You will lead, guide, and give wisdom, protection, and everything else that is needed to bring about Your will. Lord, I need You and I desire Your help. I want Your will and Your way to be done in this situation.”
I even add, “Lord, You know that I am fearful that this or that may happen. I am afraid that something bad is going to come of this, so I choose to release my heart and those that I love and what I care about into Your loving arms. I ask that you lift all sadness, worry, doubt, and concern regarding this. Heal my heart. Be Lord over this situation and give me Your peace. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”
I have found the following prompt helpful.
"Lord, I release ___________ into Your mighty and capable hands.".
Friend, I hope that was a help to you. “May the Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.” (Numbers 6:24-25 NIV)
Glad to be journeying with you!
Dawn