Are You A Worrier or Prayer?

Good morning, all. I hope that this blog today blesses you and yours.

Are You A Worrier or A Prayer?

I told you before that I have always been a deep thinker and that I spent 30 years as a teacher. Yes, if you guessed that I had my students thinking deeply you are correct. I did indeed teach my students to become deep thinkers, for which, I still get thank you’s to this day. And you know folks, all I was doing, was performing my job by teaching my kids to want to learn by teaching them to love to learn! You did not hear me, so I am going to say it one more time. I taught my children to want to learn by teaching them to love to learn. And I have been trying to do the same thing for you. Say what! Yes, you heard me correctly. Not for all of you because some of you are way ahead of me and I applaud you. But for the sake of the others, stay with me as I break it down to them, okay?

You know what? How many of you have something on your mind that is worrying you? News flash! Worrying about it will not make it go away but praying about it sho will. Yes, you heard me correctly. If you don’t believe me then listen to this brief Case in Point.

There was a time in my younger days when I had a big problem. I had worked it every way that I knew how and it was not getting any better, if fact, it seemed to be getting worse. I went to a gospel meeting because it was my duty to go. I was listening to the preacher and I thought to myself, you know you are a really good speaker, but we both know, life does not work that simply. I remember thinking, “I wish it were that simple.” But he was like a broken record and he kept on and kept on talking about the benefits of prayer. I never will forget, I looked at him and gave him a dead pan look while thinking, “Yeah, right!”  but he talked about it so much that I decided that I would give it a try. So, when I got home and got to a quiet place I prayed about my problem. I knew it was not going to get any better, but I prayed again. Then went on to bed. Now, y’all know how we get when a problem is heavy on our hearts; we go to bed thinking about it and wake up thinking about that same problem. And that is exactly what I did. I woke up with the problem on my mind and…wait a minute! Something was different. I felt lighthearted. Then I started thinking about what had me so worried and realized the problem was still the same but, I was different! But how? I got to thinking that maybe it was because I prayed about that problem in a quiet place after I had asked for forgiveness. That was my Ah-ha moment! That was when I finally figured out what was different, I realized that I had just gotten an answered prayer! I was so giddy that I wanted to try something else and see if it worked on that too.  And when that happens to you, you will do just like I did and want to pray about something else that has been bothering you and something else and something else. And before you know it, you will be liking to talk to the Lord and you will seek audiences with Him often. Why, because you will love to pray because you have been taught to love to pray. Remember above I told you that I had taught my students to want to learn by teaching them to love to learn. You, my friend, will have been taught to want to pray because you learned to love to pray. Sounds strange doesn’t it? That’s okay; it works!

So, as I told you above, worrying will not fix the problem, but prayer will. Whatever cares, concerns, etc. you have, give it all to GOD and then say, whatever it is, it is. So be it!  Remember my word, ultimately. Remember, that HE, ultimately has the final say so in all that happens in our lives. So, go ahead and pass your adversarial faith test, for that is what all problems are. You can make it through your situation with the LORD on your side by indulging in prayer.

And one final thing, when you find yourself wondering why you are not bothered anymore, give the Lord thanks for an answered prayer and spread the knowledge to your brother, sister, and neighbor.  You will find that you have given them the tool to take their situation apart and analyze it and come up with the same puzzled and wondrous summation that you did, that though their problem is the same as it was an hour ago or yesterday, that they are different! Uh oh! We will have another one who has been taught to pray because he loves to pray and on and on.  

Then you will marvel at the love of God that upholds us in so many ways. You will find yourself and your neighbor, brother, sister, etc. stepping a little lighter because burdens seem not so heavy. It is then that you know, my friend, that you have finally, "Let Go and Let GOD!" You have learned to love to pray and you will never let go of that special bond that you have developed with the Lord and will yearn for quiet time so that you can tell Him, “Thank you.” And you might even break out singing, “There's a Sweet Relief in Knowing, O-o-oh!...The LORD will Make A Way Somehow!” Yes, every now and then, I break out with this song whether I am in the midst of a storm or not, for you see, I want to praise Him because I have learned to love to praise Him! If we do this the church will grow at the pace that it did during the Marshall Keeble, R. N. Hogan and G. P. Bowser days.

Doing What I Can, While I Can Because I Care,

Alma L. Stepping On Jones