Praying For You

Too often in our lives we see prayer as a last resort instead of a first option. Prayer becomes a last ditch effort instead of the primary priority. We tend to lead spiritually powerless lives because we lead prayer-less lives. Prayer is the best thing we can do for someone or ourselves and oftentimes we pray when we feel as though we’ve exhausted every other alternative. Paul told the Colossians that he and Timothy were always praying for them. He wrote in Colossians 1:3 (NLT):

We always pray for you, and we give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

When we pray, we have the attention of the Almighty God. He hears our prayers. Whether they are desperate cries for help or expressions of praise and gratitude, God hears your prayers. He is the great mountain mover. He is the powerful Creator of everything. His Word says that there is nothing that is impossible with God. Do you believe it? If you’re worried about something or someone, you need to be praying for something or someone. Don’t let your concerns end with worry. Let your concerns begin with prayer.

He Cares For You

Peter says, “all.” He says to give all of your worries and cares to God. He doesn’t say, “some.” He doesn’t say, “a few.” He doesn’t say, “Give God the things you can’t handle and take care of the rest on your own.” He says this in 1 Peter 5:7 (NLT):

Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.

Did you hear what he said about God? “He cares about you.” He cares about you. Is He concerned about the poor? Yes. Does He love the lost? Of course. Does He care about the sick and dying? Yes He does. Does He care about you? Absolutely! God knows everything about you and He cares about you. Jesus said that the hairs on your head are numbered. God knows how many red blood cells are coursing through your veins. God knows every thought and sees every deed and hears every word, good or bad, and He still cares about you. There is nothing too big that He cannot handle and nothing too small about you which He doesn’t concern Himself. You are His prized creation. If you belong to Jesus, you are His precious daughter or son. God cares about you. So stop believing that He doesn’t. Accept His love and share it with others who need it, too.

The Peace Of God

After encouraging the Philippians not to worry about anything and to instead pray about everything, Paul then tells them about God’s peace. He wrote:

And the peace of God,which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. – Philippians 4:7 (NIV)

When we worry, it robs our hearts and minds of God’s peace. I’ve heard it said that worrying is a lot like banging your head against a wall. It only feels better when you stop. When we put our trust in God for our daily needs, He replaces our worries with peace. Our faith in God overcomes our fears. We don’t understand this kind of peace. It goes beyond our comprehension. The situation about which we are worried hasn’t changed yet, but when we trust the Lord, our perspective changes. We have this inexplicable peace that comes from God. So whatever you’re worried about today, take it to the Lord in prayer and leave it with Him. You’ll find that He will replace your worries with His peace.

Praying For Yourself

We worry about so many things, don’t we? We worry about our health, our finances, our kids and our stuff. We worry about the past, the present and the future. We worry about our jobs, our security and our retirements. Where does all of this worry get us? Nowhere. Paul told the Philippians to stop worrying and instead pray. Here’s what he wrote:

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. – Philippians 4:6 (NIV)

We are to pray about EVERY situation that we are going through. We need to pray with thanksgiving about our lives. Whatever request we have, we should take it to the Lord in prayer. Our Heavenly Father will not turn us away. He won’t accuse us of being selfish when we pray for ourselves. Be thankful for what you have and ask God for what you need. He’s listening and He cares for you. So don’t worry about anything. Instead, pray about everything.

He Cares For You

We worry about a great many things in our lives, don’t we? We worry about our families and our kids. We worry about our bills and our budgets. We worry about our stuff. We worry about our health. We worry about so many things. Many of our worries and fears are future based. Peter said that we can take all of our worries, fears and anxieties to the Lord for a very good reason. He wrote:

Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. – 1 Peter 5:7 (NIV)

We can cast ALL of our worries on the Lord because He cares for us. We sometimes think that God doesn’t like us very much. We know that He loves us, but we aren’t sure if He likes us. Well, He does. He likes you and He cares for you. He can handle all of tomorrow’s cares as well as providing your daily bread. So don’t worry about tomorrow because God’s got it under control. Focus on loving God and loving people today.

Give God That One Thing

We worry about so many things and many of those worries are focused squarely on tomorrow. Jesus said that we shouldn’t worry about tomorrow, but instead we should trust God today.

Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. – Matthew 6:34 (NIV)

Today is going to have enough troubles as it is. So why worry about tomorrow? Let’s get through today first. Let’s walk hand in hand with our Heavenly Father today before we try and run ahead of Him for tomorrow. God is well aware of what’s going to happen tomorrow. After all, He’s already there. God isn’t bound by time and space. He’s not bound by your worries and fears, either. God will handle all of the problems and worries that you will give to Him. He’s bigger than your fears. He’s stronger than your problems. So let go of your worries and let God handle them today. Pray to Him now and tell Him that you’re giving Him that one thing you’re most worried about today.

It Will Be Provided

Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and placed it on his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife. As the two of them went on together, Isaac spoke up and said to his father Abraham, “Father?”
“Yes, my son?” Abraham replied.
“The fire and wood are here,” Isaac said, “but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?”
Abraham answered, “God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” — Genesis 22:6-8 (NIV)

One of the amazing things about the story of Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice Isaac is Abraham’s trust and confidence in God.  He did not know how God would provide the lamb, he just knew that God would provide the lamb.  Maybe a thousand different scenarios ran through his mind.  Maybe he had it all planned out.  “We are going to do this and then God is going to do that and then everything will be cool.”  Or maybe Abraham truly trusted God.  He didn’t keep a lookout for lambs on the way up the hill.  He simply obeyed God and trusted that when the time was right, God would provide.

What about us?  When things are tough and we are having a hard time trusting, how do we respond?  Do we worry and fret?  Jesus said not to because the Father knows what we need.  If we will seek after the things of God, His kingdom and His righteousness, we’ll have everything we need.  We need to simply trust that God will provide.  Like Abraham, we don’t need to know the how, we just need to know the will.  He will provide.

PRAYER: Help me to trust You today, O Lord. May worry be far from me as I seek Your kingdom first. You know what I need before I ever say it. Thank You for this amazing love You have for me that was expressed through Jesus on the cross. Amen.