It is quite obvious that praying to God is how we find relief from our worries and anxieties-- as is said in Philippians 4:6-7,
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
But I think more specifically for me, the best antidote for worrying is to pray to God about OTHER people. The more I spend time thinking about those around me, and praying for their struggles, and their lives, somehow the more manageable my own issues and worries become. It is not just that my problems seem smaller in comparison to other peoples', but that I gain perspective, and remember that I am not the centre of the universe. Everybody struggles. Struggles are not the end of the world.
I have also found that God does an awesome thing when I shift my mind towards other people-- He shows me clearly that He is taking care of me. It is like He is saying, 'you take care of other people, don't you worry about yourself, I am taking care of you'. By taking care of us, He frees us up to take care of others.
Huldra Forsvant (Theodor Kittelsen)
Huldra Forsvant (Theodor Kittelsen)
3 comments:
So true, Ben. I need to pray and at the same time ask Him to give me the right heart to pray...
AY
Wow - that is exactly what God is showing me over the years! Thanks for putting it into words! So true and God is so faithful!
AY-- Thanks for the comment, that is right, the starting point is definately the right heart. Usually I don't get the 'right-heart' until I am well into the prayer, when it starts to feel real, and not just empty words I'm saying.
Lu--Thanks.. yeah I recently had the realisation that I had been learning this lesson over several years--it took me a while to notice the trend, longer than it should have done, really.
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