Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
PHILIPPIANS 4:6
We girls love security. We want to know who we’re going to marry, how many children we’re going to have, whether or not our husbands will get that promotion at work . . . then we want to know who our kids are going to marry and how many children they’re going to have! From the time we wake up until the moment our heads hit the pillow at night, there are countless issues we could choose to worry about. But do you know what I have found to be true? Almost nothing that I’ve allowed to consume me or make me anxious has ever come to fruition. And even if it has, God has always showed himself to be much bigger than the situation.
I can’t recount the amount of sleep I’ve lost worrying about things I ultimately couldn’t control anyway. I had to discipline myself to intentionally give up all my anxiety, turn my requests over to God, and trust him to take care of things. I have had to learn to substitute my anxiety with God’s peace, and this could ultimately be achieved only through prayer.
I believe there’s a direct correlation between trusting God and prayer. Prayer is our way to communicate with the Father, our opportunity to bring our gratitude, needs, and concerns before him. Sometimes we think we don’t have enough time to pray because we have a zillion other things to do and no extra slot in our schedule. I know that feeling well.
I was not able to find peace in my heart about my prayer life until I discovered this one thing: prayer has no formal location or time-slot requirement! Simply put, prayer is a way of life. When we pray, we are trusting God with our needs and future rather than depending on ourselves. In essence, unceasing prayer means continual dependence upon and constant communion with our Father, and with this comes the supernatural peace that only God can give.
MOMENT OF REFLECTION
How comfortable do you feel when you pray?
Are you comfortable having a conversation with God?