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Prayer: The Cure for Worry

Prayer: The Cure for Worry

By Charles R. Swindoll

July 2008
 
May I get very personal? The pressures of our times have many of us caught in the web of the most acceptable yet energy-draining sin in the Christian family: worry. Chances are good you awoke this morning, stepped out of bed and, before doing anything, strapped on your well-worn backpack of anxiety. You started the day not with a prayer on your mind but loaded down by worry. What a dreadful habit!

Jesus challenged His followers with the question, “And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life?” (Matthew 6:27) Worry solves nothing. It creates unrest and uneasiness, and left unchecked, it can churn our waves of anxiety into a perfect storm of emotions. Add a little imagination and creativity, and our worst fears surface in full-colour brilliance.

The stress from worry drains our energy and preoccupies our minds, stripping us of our peace. Few in God’s family are exempt. We fret over big things and little things. Some of us have a laundry list of concerns that feed our addiction to worry. Anxiety has become a favourite pastime that we love to hate. And worse, we’re passing it on to our children. As they see the worry on our faces and as they hear it from our lips, we’re mentoring them in the art of anxiety.

As always, Scripture has the answer. Paul wrote from his imprisonment, hoping to relieve the anxiety of his friends in Philippi:

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:4–7)

His prescription for anxiety can be boiled down to six words:

Worry about nothing. Pray about everything.

Wait.

Before moving on, read those words again slowly, several times. Notice that the remedy to worry involves a choice. He is not asking you to exist in a state of denial. “Don’t worry; be happy” fails to appreciate the seriousness of the concerns you have. You worry because the problems you face are difficult to solve. Furthermore, they have grave consequences if you don’t find a resolution. God doesn’t expect you all of a sudden to stop caring. Instead He offers an alternative to the pointless and exhausting habit of worry: “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything … let your requests be made known to God,” (Philippians 4:6).

Before this day is done, you will have another occasion to choose between worry and prayer. Determine now what you will do. Decide now that when the crisis arises you will transform the worry into prayer. If at the end of praying your emotions are still in turmoil, pray more. While praying, release your grip. By cultivating the discipline of prayer, you will discover the ability to remain calm and quiet. As you wait before the Lord, you’ll find relief from fear’s holding you hostage.

You might be tempted to think that your prayer was ineffective or that you somehow failed because your anxiety returned — perhaps as soon as you said, “Amen.” Happens all the time to me. I take my persistent anxiety as a signal that I need more time before the Father, reviewing all the details of my problem, telling Him how much it plagues me, and sometimes even admitting that I’m afraid He won’t handle it soon enough. Having a deep, persistent concern for a problem is not the same as worry. Worry is choosing to fret and churn instead of turning it completely over to God. Worry is wrestling with anxiety on your own rather than releasing it to the Father.

Because we are weak creatures of habit, our anxiety will quite likely resurface and we will need to return to prayer and release it all again. That’s normal. In fact, if we could rid ourselves of all anxiety with a 30-second prayer, then 1 Thessalonians 5:17 wouldn’t make much sense: “Pray without ceasing.”

Start your day with prayer. Continue praying off and on through the day. Pray as you drive. Pray at work. Pray before your lunch break. Pray when you get that difficult phone call. Pray when you are disappointed by something. Pray when surprises come. Pray when you triumph. Pray in the midst of painful news. Pray without ceasing … literally. Your heavenly Father, being touched deeply over your struggles, loves it when you come to Him, asking for help. He is right there, ready to step in. Invite Him to do just that!


Adapted from Charles R. Swindoll, So, You Want to Be Like Christ? Eight Essentials to Get You There (Nashville: W Publishing Group, 2005), 109–112.


About the author:  Chuck Swindoll


 
Chuck Swindoll