Advance: Living Unstuck & Moving Forward in FaithSample

Day 5: From Worry to Worship:
Worry is a relative of fear, but it can be more subtle and can weigh us down on a daily basis. But luckily for us, the instructions found in Philippians 4:6-8 (NLT) provide us with guidelines for turning worry into worship.

The Bible shares how, in the book of Matthew, “Jesus said, ‘Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light’”(Matthew 11:28-30, NLT). When we pray, bringing our cares and worries to God, we are unloading that heavy burden on God asking Him for help. It’s then that we find rest for our souls. To move forward, we must let go of worries that would weigh us down and learn to travel light.

In 2 Chronicles 20, there’s a powerful story of when the children of Israel were surrounded by enemy armies on all sides and they didn’t know what to do. Have you ever felt like that? Have you ever felt surrounded by worry and problems? In this account, the Bible says, that King Jehoshaphat feared for a moment and then set himself to seek the Lord. As he prayed, he said, “Lord, I don't know what to do about this vast army that surrounds me, but my eyes are on You!”

As he sought God, God gave him a strategy. God told him to send the worshippers ahead of his army and assured him that the battle was His to fight. The people of God sang, “give thanks to the Lord for He is good, His love endures forever” (Psalm 136:1, NIV)! Then the Lord sent ambushes against the enemy armies, and they were defeated. The enemies ended up destroying each other. After that, God led them into the Valley of Berakah, which means the valley of blessing. Not only did God deliver them, but they walked into all the prosperity that their enemies had left behind! They ended up better than they started.

Worship brings breakthrough! It is an act of your faith to praise God even when you don’t feel like it. And, as you worship, God will begin to give you the wisdom and strategy for your life and your situation.