Verse of the day...

~ “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” ~ Isaiah 41:10



Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Worry...............?

One of my favorite things to see is a rocking chair on a front porch. Looking at it makes me feel peace-full. I don't have a rocking chair, or a front porch, but I sure would like to!

Worry is the opposite of peace-full. It leaves me peace-less!

There are times when I don't even realize I'm worried. My mind is wired to think a lot so I get used to the constant flurry of motion in my brain. Worry will start to slowly creep in, and then before I know it, there's a stirring in my heart, my neck is tense, my mind won't shift gears and little concerns have kicked into full-blown worry.
"Worry is like a rocking chair, it will give you something to do but it won't get you anywhere!"

In Philippians 4:6-7, Paul tells us how we can find peace to replace our worries. He reminds us the Lord is near and tells us, "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."

But God doesn't say He'll give us understanding in this verse, He says He'll give us peace in the midst of not understanding. And that's what I want. I want God's nearness to be my good and trusting His sovereignty to be my goal. According to the Word, all I have to do is:
1. Stop worrying – press the pause button on my consuming concerns.
2. Start praying – open my mouth and tell God what I need.
3. Start thanking God – remind my heart of God's faithfulness by thanking Him for what He's done.

Now that is doable! So why is it so hard to do? Why do we naturally do the opposite? I think it's because we listen to the enemy's whispers: Do not be calm about anything; instead worry about everything. Tell God what He should do and take control if He doesn't listen. Before we know it, our concerns are consuming us and our worries are robbing us of God's promised peace.

But we don't have to live that way. God promises to provide just what we need – to keep us in perfect peace, as we put our trust in Him and not in our worries. So, today when our concerns consume us, let's choose to stop and empty our hearts of our worries, talk to God about what we need and thank Him for His faithfulness and provision. It's amazing how "peace-full" comes when we stop worrying, start praying and begin thanking God for what He has done and will do.

Lord, thank You for the promise of Your peace that comes when I put my trust in You! When worry or concern threaten to consume my thoughts, help me remember to stop, pray and thank You so that my heart will remember how faithful and capable You are of taking care of me. In Jesus Name, Amen!


have a wonderful day!!!!!!!!
hugs... love ... no worries and blessings,
.::Tam::.

**And now, dear children, remain in fellowship with Christ so that when he returns, you will be full of courage and not shrink back from him in shame.
~ 1 John 2:28**


blanket I started.... called "Wool eater"

4 comments:

Ally said...

Tammy,

You always post the right things when I need them. Thanks for sharing that verse(1 Philippians).

That blanket looks so pretty, is the pattern from the 'ville? It sounds familiar. =)

Shana Putnam said...

Wonderful post!! Nice blanket beginning too! God Bless You!

Diane said...

I cannot tell you how much of my life I wasted worrying about things I could not change no matter how hard I tried.

Grief has been hard, but I have to say, I have not spent one moment of it in worry. God has given me such great assurance through it all. I am so very thankful for that.

This was a great post, Tammy. Thank you so much for it.

Many hugs..........

Diane

teakaycee said...

Ally....... thank you for the encouragement!
yes... the blanket is called *Wool Eater* found it on the 'ville under a CAL for it.

Shana........ thank you my dear!!!!

Diane.... you are such a blessing to me! Prayers for you are always headed your way! Take care my dear friend.