worry
Worry is constant in our lives in many different aspects. It can cause many sleepless nights and can cause tension between us and people we love. Some of the things we may be worried about include finances, such as how we are going to pay for our bills and our child’s college or school tuition. Other worries may include: how people are going to care for their aging family members and be there for them in their times of need. The family members that they’re caring for, may worry that they are becoming a burden to their son, daughter and other family members, because they aren’t as independent as they used to be.
Other worry may include strained family relations such as a father and son not getting along, other family members fighting, such as parents on the brink of a divorce. Still other worries may include how to pay for the funeral cost after someone loses a loved one. Another worry that can easily come into someone’s mind is how they will find work to provide for their family and for themselves after a job loss.
The good news is that through all of this, God is there for us constantly and He tells us not to worry. The Bible says do not worry 365 times. That’s one verse of do not worry for every single day of the year.  Through scripture and through prayer we can rest assured that He has laid out every day of our lives, knowing exactly what we need during each day.

Some verses that are included are: Mathew  6: 25-34: 25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes?”

26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? 28 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith?”

31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”
Those verses tells us in the short version of it, not to worry about anything in our lives. It basically gives us well rounded examples of what not to worry about: the birds-they don’t worry, why should we? We are more important than they are, God says so. Another example in this verse is God saying why do you lack the faith in me? Why do you fear that I will not be able to provide for you? For He knows we all need things in our daily life to sustain ourselves. He has never failed in sustaining anything that we need so what good does it do for any of us to worry? All it does is cause more stress and harm in life.
Another verse that always has stuck out for me personally, is Philippians 4:6- “6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” This verse signifies to us that we can come to God through anything in life, good or bad at any time, day or night and pray to Him for guidance and understanding, not to mention complete peace.

It also says that we can come to God and should come to God with thankfulness in our hearts, even during worry. It can be very difficult to start off prayer by thanking God for things in your life, when you are unsure of what will come next. You may not even want to give thanks for anything. Satan tries to make us want to grumble at God, blaming Him for the things that are causing stress in our lives.
God doesn’t push stress or worry on us though. Satan does. God sometimes allows worry to happen, to see if we turn towards Him for help, or away from Him.  He can make a miracle out of a mess, and turn bad situations out for good, no matter how bad they may seem at the time. God always has ways to deliver us from Satan’s powerful hand. Wouldn’t you rather know that God will get you through any situation, than be in a miserable place of grief, worry, and bitterness, because of Satan’s lies?
It’s only after we get rid of the worry that we can live in peace and harmony with God and within ourselves, as well as with the people in our lives. We lose countless minutes to ours of the day by worrying. We lose moments of joy in our life by worrying about the little things too. Satan has power to make us believe everything has to happen and be figured out right away, right now. God tells us to be still and listen to His voice telling us not to worry. (Psalm 46:10) He even says who by worrying can add a single hour to our lives? (Luke 12:25-26)
May it bring you peace to know that God is with you always. Trust in Him and be still in His promises to always be there through your worries. May it bring you peace to call on Him and have the peace and rest you deserve. God doesn’t want His children to worry. He wants all of us to be content and to enjoy life. It’s easier said than done to not worry, but when we turn our worries over to God, our lives will be happier and easier to get through.

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