The Cure for Worry

From the ends of the earth, I cry to you for help when my heart is overwhelmed. Lead me to the towering rock of safety.

— Psalm 61:2

There are things in life that scare us, even terrify us sometimes. We have concerns about the future, about our health, about our family, and about our finances. The list of things that cause us to be filled with anxiety goes on and on. So I have a suggestion for you: the next time you are tempted to worry, pray.

I worry, and I don't admit that with pride. Worry can be a sin in which we are failing to trust God. Philippians 4:6–7 gives us this solution for worry:

Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God's peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

Notice these verses don't say that as you pray about everything, God will take your problems away. Rather, it says that God's "peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus." Maybe God will take your problem away. Or maybe He won't. But what will happen is that you will gain perspective as you see God for who He is and your problem for what it is.

If you have a big God, then you have a relatively small problem. But if you have a big problem, then it might be that you have a small God. You are not seeing God in His glory and what He can do. The psalmist wrote, "From the ends of the earth, I cry to you for help when my heart is overwhelmed . . ." (Psalm 61:2). When I cry out to God, He gives me His peace and His strength. And He will do the same for anyone who will call on Him.