On my job so many were worrying about a government shutdown. Conversations and meeting.... I wasn’t one of them. So many folks worry about so many things. I wonder if I have any worriers on the call this morning. Tony Terry sung a song that says if you are gonna pray, don’t worry. If you’re gonna worry, don’t pray. Contrary to popular opinion, God wants you to be happy. Many people don’t believe that is true; they think the more dull you are, the more spiritual you are. But the Bible says, “Happy are the people whose God is the Lord” That is Psalm 144:15. Not only does God want you to be happy, but he tells you how to be happy! In fact, God has a four-part formula for happiness. It’s found in the book of Philippians. That’s a Bible study there. First part of the happiness formula is this: Stop worrying about Stuff. The Bible says in Philippians 4:4, 6, “Rejoice in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice! Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray”. Worry basically means one thing: You’re not trusting God in a particular area. It’s the opposite of faith. I have said this before. Anyone ever known worrying to solve any of your problems? It only sucks up a lot of energy. It can’t change the past, and it can’t change the future—but it ruins your present day. I read somewhere that worry is like a rocking chair; it will give you something to do, but you don’t get anywhere with it. Jesus said in Matthew 6:34: “Don’t ever worry about tomorrow. After all, tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own”. What if you take the energy you use to worry about something and use it to pray about it instead? Instead of panicking, what if you prayed? Listen, Prayer is your communication with God and the first thing you should do when you start to worry—not a last resort. My wife was mentioning how people say, “We’ve tried everything else. We might as well pray!” Instead, take your cares to the Lord first so that you won’t waste energy worrying. You can’t worry and be happy at the same time. That’s why the first step to happiness is to stop worrying—and start praying! It’s not always easy to do—people are natural worriers. Give it a try today. Go from worrier to warrior. As you stop worrying and start praying.
