By: Rex Stump
Wauseon, Ohio
Recently, we were once again ambushed with horrific news of an evil and deadly shooting. The news of a gunman firing through the windows of a Catholic School, killing two children and injuring 18 others, left many heartbroken and in pain. Will the bad news cease?
The truth is, no one is exempt from the pain of death and injury, nor are we exempt from relational pain, financial struggles, or emotional challenges.
Ruth Bell Graham once told the story of lying awake at 3:00 in the morning, worried about someone she loved who was trying hard to run away from God.
As she later recalled, suddenly the Lord said to her, “Quit studying the problems and start studying the promises!” What a wonderful word of direction from God!
We could spend all day speaking of bad news, pains, evil, unfair treatments, tough times, and the worries of our hearts…all of which are legitimate and real. Instead, let’s focus on the promises of God.
From prison, during a tumultuous time during Nero’s reign, Christians would soon be tested for their faith in God. So, Paul devotes four verses to this subject.
“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.
“And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.
“Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you.” Philippians 4:6-9
In this letter, Paul says to remove those anxious thoughts through the process of prayer! Unfortunately, there are many who don’t believe in the power of prayer or the urgency of prayer.
After a tragedy, those in public view (politicians, celebrities, media) often say, “You are in our thoughts and prayers.” However, after the horrific tragedy in Minneapolis, many were saying, “I’m sick of thoughts and prayers, how about thoughts and actions.
Let’s do something, the prayers aren’t working.” “You are in my thoughts and prayers” seems to be a phrase that is now being disqualified. They suggest that thoughts and action are better than thoughts and prayer.
Let me be clear. The greatest action we could ever do is to pray! Because we cannot act, because we do not have strength, because we are powerless in pain and suffering, we must pray! Only prayer can bring peace!
Because there is a God who surpasses every thought, every action, with all superiority, and He is a God who reigns, we pray! We pray to God, who listens.
We pray to God who sees and feels our pain and will someday make it all right. We pray to God, who can answer. Until that day, we must trust in God!
So, we pray! Sometimes prayer does not change the situation and make it better, but prayer always changes us and makes us better.
The problem is worry; the prescription is prayer. As prayer cleanses our minds from anxious thoughts, the plan is to think and do the things that are commanded of us in God’s word.
The promise for all who follow this counsel is peace, the peace of God, and best of all, the God of peace is with us! Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything!
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Rex Stump is the Area Director for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and serves as a Pastor at True North Church in Wauseon, Ohio.