How To Overcome Worry

Growing up, I was an extremely anxious kid. I worried about everything! Worry was a behavior I learned over time that had been passed down from generation to generation within my family. For so long worry had been a way of life. I still struggle with it some days.

Recently, I had a very important meeting to attend. I wasn’t quite sure what the outcome was going to be, but I was excited! However, a few days before the meeting, all kinds of scenarios started running through my head. I had gotten myself so worked up, I was no longer looking forward it. Instead, I was overwhelmed with worry.

Can you relate?

When I worry, I think I have some sort of control over the situation or thing I’m worrying about. I’m afraid God won’t intervene. It comes down to fear and not trusting God. The lie is that God isn’t going to take care of me, so I must take care of myself.

This kind of thinking is not in line with God’s truth.

So how do we overcome worry? The Bible tells us in Philippians 4:7, “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all that He has done” (NLT).

Three key steps can help us when we are faced with worry: gratitude, praise and worship.

Cultivate a Grateful Heart

Being thankful changes our posture. Going before the Lord and thanking Him create a grateful heart within us. We thank Him for what He’s done and what He’s going to do. When we focus on Him, we stop obsessing about our circumstances. Problems begin to appear smaller than our God, who is bigger than anything we may face. This helps us to be grateful for what we have and trust that where we lack, God will provide. Gratitude lifts us up and prevents us from having a pity party. We can be content no matter our circumstances. We have so much to be thankful for!

Praise God for Who He Is

When we give praise to God, it’s not because of what He has done for us. We praise Him for who He is and because we love Him. He is mighty. He is great and greatly to be praised. He gave His one and only Son for us. How awesome is that? He deserves our praise. I am in awe of just how great He is. Praise increases and strengthens our faith. 

Meet God in Worship

Worship isn’t just the songs we sing in church. It’s also about our relationship with the Lord and how we live. True worship is submitting our lives and everything we do to Him. God meets us in this place of worship. Whether my prayers are answered or not, I continue to worship. We worship God because He is God, not for what we can get out of Him.

One of my favorite worship songs is Whom Shall I Fear. If God is on our side, then whom shall we fear? I can sing confidently … I know who goes before me. I know who stands behind. The God of angel armies is always by my side. I start to feel God’s presence, and peace instantly comes to my soul.

I’m still a work in progress, and battling worry is something I have to ask God to help me with daily. Worry only steals our joy. With God we can be joyful in all things. My life verse has brought me such comfort: “And do not be worried, for the joy of the Lord is your strength and stronghold” (Nehemiah 8:10 AMP).

What do you worry about? Is it money, your family or even your future?

Today, I encourage you to give your worries to the Lord. Thank Him for what He’s already done in your life and what He’s going to do. Praise Him for who He is. Worship Him because He is God. He is working on your behalf, even when you can’t see it. He is for you and has your best interest at heart.

Enter His gates with thanksgiving; go into His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him and praise His name. –Psalm 100:4 NLT