Shape Your Worries Into Prayers

This came from my prayer journal I wrote on Monday, June 9, 2008.

Father, my spirit is troubled this morning. Troubled about not hearing from a company that, after several intense interviews, told me they wanted to retain me as a contracted consultant. Most troubling to me is that I don't have any word from You on what else is out there for me for an income. Last evening I read in The Outlook [Southeast Christian's newspaper] about reducing stress and anxiety and to stop worrying. Philippians 4:6 was given as a reference.

The Message says:

"Don't fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God's wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It's wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life."

Father, there are several observation I made here:

1) Both fretting and worrying and praying take action. What Paul is saying is replace our negative action with positive action.
2) Fretting and worrying are both inward-self-directed just staying inside myself. Praying is reaching out, breaking out of myself, God directed.
3) Worries are "what ifs." Paul says to "shape" our worries into prayers. He doesn't deny we have issues. He also says "let petitions and praise shape our worries." We should take those issues for which we are concerned, and rightly so, and while we are talking to You, Father, form those worries. In other words, acknowledge them and keep on talking to You. Get out of myself, stop trying to figure things out, going round and round in my head. Through the words spoken to You form the worries into, and intertwined with, my requests of You and praising You. Where is the focus? Right on You. Not on me or my issues. There's more here, I believe, than I see right now. But I do see that this image of shaping my worries through and by petitions and praise is very important.
4) I have to talk to You about my concerns. Paul says "...letting God know your concerns." And it is done through my talking to You with my petitions and praise.
5) I will get a direct response inside my spirit, mind and heart. It will happen quickly. There will be no announcing. I will just experience it, and it will be real! There will be "peace." The Message says "...a sense of God's wholeness." All under Your control. Not just focused on one issue in my life and the world around me. You touch all. You take a holistic approach to my life. You don't trade one for another. You direct and work on my whole life and how it fits into and impacts all those around me. With that kind of leading and nurturing, I can rest assured and be at peace.
6) Not that I am to just "stop worrying." That will not do it. Paul says I replace worry with Christ. Christ displaces. Really, that's different. For You see I was thinking, that I had to put Christ in my life instead of worry. But really what is said is: While I am petitioning and praising You Father, Christ Himself will move in and displace the worry. I need to focus on praising, letting You know my concerns. Focus on my relationship with You, Father, and Christ will do the rest. I'm not responsible for putting Christ in my mind instead of worry. He will do that. Also, its important to understand that Paul lays it out as to Where and What position this worry has in my life. Who should be there instead of worry. And how quickly the Who, Christ, moves in, wanting to be there, fighting to be there. The "center" of my life.

Thank you Father for this Word from You.

I also happened upon Acts 27 as I was turning to Philippians 4:6 and stopped to read it. There, I became aware and named Paul's experience in the shipwreck as a metaphor of life. It was encouraging to read it. It helped me see life for what it is. Stay the course. Listen. Throw off those things that will weigh us down. Life will shipwreck us, but we will reach shore (heaven), without a scratch. Thank You, Father!