Offer a Prayer to God
In addition to taking action on our worries, we can also pray and talk to God about our concerns.
The apostle Paul wrote this in a letter to some people living in the city of Philippi the first century (Philippians 4:6-7):
"Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus." NLT
Sounds like Paul must have heard Jesus' teaching on worry which he gave years earlier. Word of mouth travels fast.
I love how Eugene Peterson translates Paul's teaching in The Message Bible:
"Don't fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God's wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It's wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life."
I love that phrase "shape your worries into prayers."
Imagine if every time we started to worry we immediately shape that worry into a prayer. We sure would pray more! And we would probably experience far less worry.
Try it today. Use worry as a trigger or reminder to talk to God about your concerns. Even if it is just a silent thought prayer.
What a difference that can make as God's peace replaces worry at the centre of our heart and mind.