The flip side of worry

Ann Jahns

I’m a world-class worrier. If it were an Olympic sport, I’d have a house full of gold medals. Nothing is off limits from my worrying scenarios.

But if anyone should’ve been a worrier, it would’ve been the apostle Paul. Because he boldly and unabashedly proclaimed his faith in Christ, he endured prison . . . shipwrecks . . . torture . . . stoning . . . starvation. Yet in Philippians 4:6, he declares, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”

Years ago, I attended a women’s Bible study with an older lady who had unexpectedly lost her beloved husband of 45 years. She expressed that she was grappling with the aching hole in her life. She admitted that she was fearful and worried about the future. But I will never forget something she said: “My worrying has never changed the outcome of anything.”

So what’s the flip side of worry? What can we do when worry floods our minds, steals our sleep at night, and threatens to rob us of our peace and joy? Paul reminds us that the other side of the worry coin is prayer. When worry looms, take all those worries to the throne of heaven in prayer and lay them at the feet of Jesus. Big or small, present or future—give all your worries to God. Paul promises, “And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:7).

Devotion used by permission of Time of Grace®. For more information, visit timeofgrace.org