Arch rivalries have always existed, from Cain and Abel, to the Hatfields and the McCoys, to Roadrunner and Wile E. Coyote, to the Washington Redskins and the Dallas Cowboys.
No matter who the arch rivals are, the core of the rivalry stems from a disagreement in approach or belief, or simply from an opposite stance in which one rival is clearly and firmly on one side of the line and the other rival is clearly and firmly on the other side.
Every day, we have two arch rivals positioning themselves to be THE one that guides our responses to life's challenges. Those two age-old rivals, diehard foes who couldn't be more opposite, are none other than Prayer and Worry.
An old saying goes, "If you're going to pray, don't worry. And, if you're going to worry, don't pray." We have to choose one. And, once we choose one, we negate the other.
In 1 Thessalonians 5:17 we are told to "pray without ceasing." If we really do that, there is no room or time for worry. 1 Peter 5:7 talks about "casting our cares on Him, for He cares for us." That means we cast our cares on the Lord, like a fisherman casts a line out into the water, except that, once we cast the line we let go of the pole.
Worry is like letting go of the line, but insisting on holding on to the pole--tightly. As long as we keep holding on, we are going to be preoccupied with how long it takes to see anything move, how well someone else appears to be doing, and what we expect to see on the other end of the line.
Prayer involves trust and faith--trust that God hears and is able to respond, and faith that God will always do what's best for us, even if it doesn't look or feel so good at the time.
I, like many of us, still struggle with completely letting go of something once I give it to God. I keep wanting to check in with God and ask, "Are we there yet? Are we there yet?" But, I know that when I think that way, I'm letting worry dominate. That's when I remind myself that whatever it is I have prayed about is no longer my issue--it's God's issue. If it was cast onto Him, that means I don't have it anymore!
When Worry tries to rear its ugly head, just call on its arch rival, Prayer. Remember, Prayer and Worry are rivals, not equals. Worry can only frustrate, not dominate. Prayer is the guaranteed winner every time, especially when you partner it with Patience. When Prayer and Patience team up, Worry doesn't stand a prayer! So, keep praying!
BNcouraged!
Rev. Karen
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