The Stranglehold of Worry

Some time ago I was playing with my grandkids, and they were pretending to choke me—and I was letting them. They were having a great time. A few days later, my granddaughter came over and said, "Grandpa, I want to choke you again."

I thought, I don’t really know if I want to do that again.

Worry does the same thing to us. It chokes us. The word worry comes from an old English word that means "to strangle" or "to choke." It cuts the air off. And it’s hard to breathe when you are getting choked.

Life is full of troubles, and there are all kinds of concerns we have every day about our health, our safety, our family, and our finances. Yet Philippians 4:6–7 reminds us, "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."

The next time you start to panic, pray. Maybe it is in the middle of the night. (Isn’t that when panic often strikes?) When that happens to me, I say, "Lord, there isn’t anything I can do about it right now. This is Your problem. I’m giving it to You. I’m going back to sleep, and I’ll see You in the morning."

There is no good in worry; it doesn’t help anything. In fact, worrying is a complete waste of time. The Bible says, "Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you" (1 Peter 5:7). So don’t worry. Pray. And as you pray, it will help you overcome your anxiety and worry. Commit your cares to the Lord.