“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” – Philippians 4:6

Worrying is defined as “allowing one’s mind to dwell on difficulty or troubles; giving way to anxiety or unease.” The name itself is derived from the Old English verb wyrgan, which means “to grab by the throat” or “to strangle.” When your thoughts are consumed by your troubles, you are said to be in a state of worry. It’s a pervasive sense of worry and uncertainty.

Worry has never solved any situation. In Matthew 6 Jesus condemns it. He says worry is foolish and shows a lack of confidence in the person, character, and ability of God. Listen to the words of Jesus “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 important than food, and the body more important than clothes? 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? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?

In our verse for today, Apostle Paul gives us a blueprint on how to overcome worry . He says that by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. It is vital that we trust in the Lord with all our hearts and lean not on our own understanding, experiences or bad runs in life. I pray that we will all have the strength to not let worry deem our light. Instead, we will have the desire to pray, give thanks and talk to God over our worries. This is the word of God. Amen.