Don't worry - pray!

^6-7Don'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.

"Don't worry be happy" is a song most of us knew well in the '80s - written by Bobby McFerrin - it's message spoke of a life free from worry...if you would just be happy :) Some of the lyrics you might have sung along to all those years ago were catchy & almost the perfect remedy for our worries;

"In every life we have some trouble

But when you worry you make it double

Don't worry, be happy"

The problem here is that it's easy to say 'don't worry', but we need something to replace the hole & the void that carried our concerns. Who do we give our anxieties to? Where does our faith in the future lie?

Through a series of circumstances, Bobby McFerrin ended up struggling with major anxieties after this song was released and found it hard not to worry when life became all consuming. It's true we shouldn't worry, but that's only half of the remedy for anxiety. The next (and more important part) is to pray.

"Don't worry, pray" isn't as catchy, but it certainly would have been more effective. Happiness is fleeting, but contentment despite our present situation is more than possible. Despite the storm & the possible negatives swirling around our world, when we are centered on the rock of Jesus we can have peace in the storm.

Storms, however frightening they are, are temporary. The sun is permanent & will outlast the storms. As long as you are focusing on what is right and true & permanent you will be victorious. You have no reason to fear no matter how dark the situation appears in front of you.

What we meditate and 'fix our mind' on is part of our positioning. It is natural to lean towards the fears, worries & cares of the world. They are constant and can sometimes be all consuming - despite how long we have been a Christian & know what is right to do. We all have dark, gloomy days that threaten to overcome us.

Positioning yourself in the right place is the answer.

Standing in the right place, and focusing on the right things, is the key to a life of peace despite the circumstances.

And where is the right place?

Close to the One who longs to be close to you. Leaning into Him.

Holding onto His word as a lifeline. Standing on the rock knowing you are in the right place, and soaking in the rays of the sun as they begin to displace the storm clouds (of fear, doubt & anxiety) and soaking in His love, peace & comfort knowing that tomorrow is a new day.

And He is at the Helm.

I love these verses. They speak of life, faith & promise. And although it seems to go against our natural bent to think of those things that are concerning us most, the answer lies in the super-natural.

Thinking on all the good, and all the beautiful you can.

Something we need to work on every day if we want to live a life free from worry & anxiety - despite the storms.

^8-9Summing it all up, friends, I'd say you'll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. Put into practice what you learned from me, what you heard and saw and realized. Do that, and God, who makes everything work together, will work you into his most excellent harmonies.