Worry seems to be part of our human nature. It’s interesting to me that animals don’t seem to carry that trait, and what a blessing for them. I mean, they have to find a warm place to sleep when it gets cold. They need to find food when they’re hungry. If the climate changes, they adapt to a new way of life. Still, not one of them has to worry about those things. They just do what needs to be done. As part of the human race, I tend to be a worrier. As a mother, that makes me twice the worrier. As a woman, I feel an extra measure of worry is built into our DNA. However, Jesus told His followers not to worry about anything. Come to Him and lay your burdens on His shoulders.

Sounds easy – right? It should be easy as pie to turn our worries over to someone else, but it doesn’t naturally work that way. Instead, we try to find a solution on our own. Maybe that comes from having a free will and a mind of our own, but we have a resource that gives us permission to let it go. Surrender is never easy, however. Our pride gets in the way. Our determination and wherewithal tell us that we should be able to handle whatever life throws at us, without help from anyone else.

When the Creator of all things invites us to turn things over to Him, He gives us a blessing beyond our wildest imagination. No, that doesn’t mean He’s a genie in a bottle, ready to endow us with whatever we wish, but what He gives is far greater than anything we want. Since He is the One who made each and every creature (including us) it’s a pretty good sign that He will deliver.

Waiting until all else fails to pray, is not the answer. Going to God immediately with your concerns, your troubles, your decisions, whatever – will open doors you may never have dreamed of. Prayer can also be answered in dramatic ways with instant results. Most of the time, that doesn’t happen. We don’t have the wisdom or foresight to look into the future. God does. In fact, He has already planned the course for our lives. There may be prayers that go unanswered, because God knew they were not the right thing for you. There are prayers that come back with a giant “NO!” or a “MAYBE LATER.” Just remember that God loves you and wants only what’s best for you. He has complete control over the course of our lives and when the answer is, “YES!” you will have the comfort and peace of knowing it.

We don’t possess the ability to hear God’s voice or to know exactly what He wants for us, but the peace that comes with His plans are always for our benefit. He encourages us to pray. He speaks to us daily through His Holy Word. We can see evidence of His existence in the majesty of creation. He loves us more than we know. He is always with us. He laid down His life for all. Don’t wait until nothing else works. PRAY NOW!

 “And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us.” 1 John 5:14 ESV