Worry about money? Let the Bible Help.
— Bob Lotich
Jesus deeply cares about you and for you. Listen to some of His words about worrying and hear His heart’s desire for you to have freedom from worries clutches. Worry about money? Let the Bible Help.
“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes?” – Matthew 6:25 (NIV)
You have life, so don’t waste your mental energy on peripheral issues such as food and clothing. Focus your attention on the One who gave you life.
“Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?” – Matthew 6:27 (NIV)
Worry accomplishes absolutely nothing, so Jesus encourages us to avoid wasting our precious time on it and focus on Him instead.
“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” – Matthew 6:33 (NIV)
God assures us that when our first priority is Him, then He will give us everything we need. Worry might feel like a “responsible” response to our situation, but Truth is that seeking the Kingdom of God and seeking to live pure in His sight is the best response to whatever we are facing.
Worry about money? Let the Bible Help.
“Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” – Matthew 6:34 (NIV)
God knows that we are prone to wearing ourselves out worrying about stuff that hasn’t happened yet and may never happen. The reality is that God’s grace truly is sufficient for us as we deal with life’s challenges as they arise.
Have you ever spoken with someone, and they told you a story about how they walked through a terrible situation, and they made it? That is grace, my friend. The ability to walk through absolutely awful things and come out knowing God better than before is a true gift. Worry about money? Let the Bible Help.
I want to encourage you today, no matter your situation, to press in toward God. Tell Him, openly and honestly, about every feeling going on inside you – worry, anger, fear, disappointment, shame . . . He can handle it! And not only that, but He can fix it! His desire is to help you!
Substitute Prayer For Worry
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” – Philippians 4:6 (NIV)
Don’t worry. Just don’t do it!
Oh, that changes everything, thank you!
If only it were that simple. The Bible very directly tells us not to worry, but it seems like such a difficult thing to overcome! But I love how practical the Bible is. Philippians 4 actually gives us a formula for how to get out of this trap!
Worry about money? Let the Bible Help.
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” – Philippians 4:6 (NIV)
Here we see God telling us to let go of anxiety by replacing worry with prayer and thanksgiving.
I once heard someone say that to get your trust in God you must purposefully take your trust out of something else. So, the bad thing you are worried could happen (or maybe is happening) needs to have less of your attention and you must very intentionally place your attention and trust in God.
It isn’t automatic and it isn’t always easy. While you are praying, thank God for all He has done for you, to you and through you. Then finally, make your needs known to Him.
Many times, over the years, I have found myself in a challenging financial position and found myself praying for finances. There really is no better move you can make than going to God in prayer with your request.
I always try to start with simply being thankful. The reason is to remind my brain that God is for me. And He has done a whole lot for me in the past. This helps me remember that if He has helped me in the past, He will help me again now and in the future.
I often find that He leads me to commonsense changes or ideas as an answer to my prayer. As you pray, listen in your heart for God’s prompting and direction on simple changes and next steps you are to take, then be ready to respond with action when He gives you direction!
God’s response to our prayer is always better than all the best money-saving strategies the world can offer.
Worry about money? Let the Bible Help.
Come up with a plan
“The wisdom of the prudent is to give thought to their ways, but the folly of fools is deception.” – Proverbs 14:8 (NIV)
Have a financial plan, starting with a budget. A good budget will not solve your problems by itself, but it will, without a doubt, help and it will give you a clear synopsis of your financial condition. Which, in turn, will allow you to pray more accurately.
Many times, the thing we are most afraid of is nothing more than a shadow. When we take a good look at our situation, oftentimes we can see how and where things can improve.
Maybe you have looked, and it really is a dire situation. Well, I’d like to remind you that nothing is too difficult for God! This is the creator of the universe who knows you by name and who loves you and I with a passion we will never be able to comprehend.
By coming up with a plan, you are doing your part. Then, you pray and ask God to show up. In my experience, and we see this over and over again in the Bible, when we do our part in the natural, we get to watch God do a miracle in the supernatural…something we never saw coming. Which is so much fun!
In 2 Chronicles 20, you see Jehoshaphat and his army show up to a battle that should have wiped out their nation. But instead, as he showed up, God performed a miracle that not only solved their problem but gave them a huge blessing.
I am convinced when we do our part, it not only creates space for God to do something big, but it makes us witnesses to what He has done so we can point people back to Him.
Worry about money? Let the Bible Help.
