Paul wrote: ‘Don’t worry about anything, but pray about everything. With thankful hearts offer up your prayers and requests to God. Then, because you belong to Christ Jesus, God will bless you with peace that no one can completely understand. And this peace will control the way you think and feel’ (v.6-7 CEV). When we’re worrying for a long time with no relief, it can wear us out. Worry keeps our minds constantly fidgeting and busy, but all that effort and energy never actually gets us anywhere – except to more worries. One medical expert says that we create about thirty thousand thoughts per day, and an uncontrolled thought life can create a perfect environment for needless worry to thrive. That’s why we must learn to ‘take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ’ (2 Corinthians 10:5 NIV). There are countless things that can spark off worry, but the very basic cause of worry is a reluctance to trust God to take care of the various situations in our lives. Most of us try to be independent, relying on our own strength and strategies, so it takes time – lots of it – to learn how to trust God instead. And the only way we can learn that is by doing it. Every time we pray and turn the problem over to God, we experience His faithfulness. That makes it easier to trust Him next time. And when it comes to life’s problems, there’ll always be a ‘next time’. So whenever you feel yourself starting to worry about something, say, ‘I trust God completely; there’s no need to worry because He’s in control!’ The more we focus on this truth, the easier we’ll find it to fix our minds on trust rather than worry.
