Worried?
In Pastor Tony Evans book “No more excuses”, he discussed the sin of worry. He wrote, “Worry is from the word that means strangle. It chokes us. It cuts off our emotional and spiritual air supply so that we get frustrated and angry. Worry is like a rocking chair, taking you back and forth but never getting you anywhere.”
Early in my incarceration I did plenty of rocking. I voiced my concerns to one of the Pastors. He told me to take care of myself and trust God to take care of my family. Once I followed his advice I felt the weight of worry lifted off my shoulders onto God’s. I knew it would be difficult for my family, but I also knew God could take better care of them than I ever could.
I traded my worry for Prayer. Looking back I have had people tell me not to worry about them but have never had anyone tell me not to Pray for them.
Oswald Chamber wrote:”We tend to use prayer as a last resort, but God wants it to be our first line of defense. We pray when there’s nothing else we can do, but God wants us to pray before we do anything at all.”
I once heard a story about a lady who stayed up all night worrying about her children (no mom, it’s not you). She decided to give her concerns to God in prayer. Before she went to bed at the end of her prayers she would tell God, “I am going to sleep there is no reason for both of us to stay up.” She slept like a baby.
I no longer worry about anything. But, I pray for everything.
-John Haeffele
