Pray More, Worry Less-Try It!

I went through a phase a while back where I was experiencing anxiety-some of it was due to obsessing over my training and nutrition and worrying about my family, but also sometimes it seemed like there was no reason for it. It was just like a constant nagging sense of anxiety in the back of my head, even when I didn't feel like I was worried or stressed about anything.

I can say now that that feeling has greatly diminished, one of the reasons being that I began to pray more.

I have always prayed, but usually it was just at night as I was going to sleep. And honestly, most of the time, I'd fall asleep before I finished! But for the past year or so I have really made much more concentrated effort to fix my thoughts on God, to spend more time in His Word, and to pray frequently throughout the day-all day. And it has really made a huge difference.

People so often have a tendency to just pray when something bad happens, or when they need something, like God is there to just answer  their every beck and call. But the things is, that is not how a relationship with God should be. Think about how you would feel if there was someone in your life who always came to you when they needed something, but never wanted to spend time or talk with you. I know that I wouldn't like that very much!

The thing is, you can and should talk to God anytime, like you would your closest friend. He wants you to give your worries and cares to Him- He really does want the best for you! When you know God and how much He loves you, when you truly believe that, it makes all the difference. It really does help you not to worry so much when you know and believe in the goodness and faithfulness of God. But if you don't believe that God is on your side, or you doubt that He is even listening or that prayer even makes a difference, of course you're not going to want to pray.

It may be hard at first to know how to pray, or what to pray. But you can just start with a few minutes every morning. Simply thank Him for giving you another day to live. Ask that He will lead you and guide you through the day.

As you drive to work in the morning, think about all that He has blessed you with and thank Him for it. Thank Him for His mercy and His grace, for sending His son to die for you so that you can know Him and have REAL life!

If you struggle with worry and anxiety, ask Him for peace. Ask that He will help you to find joy in Him, to be content with what you have, and to help you not to worry about things that won't matter in the long run. When you find yourself worrying about something, give it up to Him.

Then, start praying for others. I think that when we are only focused on ourselves and all of our problems all of the time, it just intensifies our stress and anxiety and unhappiness even more. Yes, pray for yourself and your needs, but also pray for your family members and friends daily. Shift your focus from yourself  to how you can help and love others.

"Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere." -Ephesians 6:18

God wants you to know true peace, and that peace is found only in drawing near to Him and having a close relationship with Him. The more time you spend reading God's Word, the more you know of Him, the more you will want to talk to Him.

You can't develop a relationship without communication, right? Well, that's one of the ways that we develop our relationship with God. You don't have to worry about praying the "right" way, or saying the right things, or spending 2 hours a day praying. No, prayer is just sharing your heart with God and talking with Him all throughout the day.

Try it!

"So when anxiety knocks at the door of your heart, let prayer answer. Not just a general prayer or only a venting prayer, but one with adoration, petition, with thanksgiving and specific requests. God wants to comfort you and give you His peace, and He wants to help you with the problems that you can’t solve on your own."

-Chip Ingram