Eliminate worry!

Gratitude leads to peace.

Paul put it plainly, “…do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6–7, ESV).

There is an inseparable connection between gratitude and a worry-free life.

Remember, Paul was in prison facing an uncertain future when he called the Philippian Christians to “not be anxious about anything.” The Apostle didn’t know if he would be executed or liberated when he exhorted Christians “in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.”

Giving thanks is an indispensable weapon for conquering worry. Grateful people find joy and peace close at hand.

Houston scholar and researcher, Brené Brown, has said: “I made a commitment to never talk about joy for the rest of my career without talking about gratitude. Because in 12 years of research, I have never interviewed a single person with the capacity to really experience joy who does not also actively practice gratitude.”[1]

 Israel’s worship book, the Psalms, are replete with the call to give thanks:

Psalm 7 “I will give to the Lord, the thanks due to his righteousness.”

Psalm 9 “I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart.”

Psalm 28 “The Lord is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts, and I am helped; my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to him.”

Psalm 30 “Sing praises to the Lord, O you his saints, and give thanks to his holy name.”

So many Psalms Psalm 33, Psalm 44, Psalm 54, Psalm 57, Psalm 75, 79, 86, 92, 97, 100, 105, 106, 107, 108, 109, 111, 118, 122, 136 – in one way or another, all say give thanks unto the Lord.

The grateful heart is a peaceful heart. If you want to worry less today, think much of the Gospel. Think much of what God has done for you in Christ. When you thank God and praise Him, worry melts away. And that’s the Gospel!

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[1] The Wholehearted Life: Oprah Talks to Brené Brown, (Oprah.com, May 13, 2013).