Worry Only Changes You
Life always presents things for us to worry about. We’ll always have cares, always have concerns, always have things that trouble us, but when we worry about them, Jesus asks, “Will all your worries add a single moment to your life?” (Matthew 6:27). Worry is like rocking back and forth in a rocking chair. You’re doing something but getting nowhere. But worry does change one thing—it changes who we are. Worry changes our personality and makes us frustrated, suspicious, cranky, and miserable. It causes us to miss the beauty of the moment and to be fruitful in our lives. It literally chokes us spiritually.
In Matthew 10, when Jesus was at the home of Martha and Mary for a time of fellowship, Mary sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what He had to say. But Martha was so distracted by all the preparations that she demanded Him to tell Mary to help her. Jesus responded, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” He wasn’t discrediting that there were things to be done, but He was speaking to how she was handling those things. When we’re anxious and stressed, we’re allowing the daily cares of life to pull us away from Him. Mary also had much to do, but she knew the most fruitful thing she could do at that moment was to give her undivided focus to Jesus.
The apostle Paul gives us insight into winning the battle over worry. He says, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God” (Philippians 4:6). He didn’t just say, “Hey, don’t be anxious.” He followed it up with a practice that you and I can do every day. He told us to pray. We are to talk to God about everything that concerns us, which is exactly what prayer is. He was saying, “Turn your worry into prayer. Take your worry list and put it on your prayer list.”
Are you worrying, or are you praying? Prayer and worry can’t coexist. They’re opposites. Don’t allow anxieties to push you around as Martha did. Take your worries and begin to offer them up to God and bring Him into the middle of your challenges, and it becomes a prayer. Offer up this prayer with thanksgiving in your heart, saying, “My worries are small compared to my great big God.” Then the apostle Paul adds, “And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:7).
In Matthew 10, when Jesus was at the home of Martha and Mary for a time of fellowship, Mary sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what He had to say. But Martha was so distracted by all the preparations that she demanded Him to tell Mary to help her. Jesus responded, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” He wasn’t discrediting that there were things to be done, but He was speaking to how she was handling those things. When we’re anxious and stressed, we’re allowing the daily cares of life to pull us away from Him. Mary also had much to do, but she knew the most fruitful thing she could do at that moment was to give her undivided focus to Jesus.
The apostle Paul gives us insight into winning the battle over worry. He says, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God” (Philippians 4:6). He didn’t just say, “Hey, don’t be anxious.” He followed it up with a practice that you and I can do every day. He told us to pray. We are to talk to God about everything that concerns us, which is exactly what prayer is. He was saying, “Turn your worry into prayer. Take your worry list and put it on your prayer list.”
Are you worrying, or are you praying? Prayer and worry can’t coexist. They’re opposites. Don’t allow anxieties to push you around as Martha did. Take your worries and begin to offer them up to God and bring Him into the middle of your challenges, and it becomes a prayer. Offer up this prayer with thanksgiving in your heart, saying, “My worries are small compared to my great big God.” Then the apostle Paul adds, “And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:7).