A Soul Weaned Off Worry

It’s audio devo day! Needing a prayer today to soothe your soul? Give this a listen — these audio devos come with a few moments of prayer ministry both at the beginning and the end of each:

(Remember, for more like these, subscribe to my Feeding on Jesus podcast on iTunes, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, or most other podcast platforms!)

***********************************************

“Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on” (Matt. 6:25, NKJV).

I like to say, “I’m a warrior, not a worrier.” However, this has not always been the case. A couple decades ago, I was much more of a worrier than I am now. Worry stole the joy out of a lot of my days. Holy Spirit has done a faithful, thorough work in my soul to bring me to this point. I am so grateful!

I remember Him speaking to me a few years ago about this subject through a billboard. (Yes, He speaks in so many creative ways!) This billboard was an ad for insurance, if I remember correctly. It featured a picture of a huge guardian angel’s wing and boldly suggested, “Worry Less.” As soon as I saw it, I felt Holy Spirit stirring that message deeply in my heart.

And then I had to smile because as my husband and I continued our travels down that particular highway, that same billboard was repeated over, and over, and over along the way. I must have seen the same communication flash before my eyes at least twenty times in the course of two hours. Obviously, Holy Spirit really wanted me to get the message.

“Worry Less.” Does that feel more attainable to you than “Do not worry at all”? Then go with it! Daddy is smiling at you right now with friendly eyes. He wants you to know that He’s okay with your non-perfection in the “no worrying” arena. In fact, He expected it. With deep compassion, He understands that learning to live worry-free is a process, like so many other parts of our spiritual lives.

When He first deposits an instruction into our hearts, He does so as a Sower. He is the Sower, and we are the field. The instruction, “Do not be anxious about anything” (Phil 4:6), is a seed in His hand. He carefully plants it into the depths of our inner being.

Then, like any experienced farmer, He begins to water it and tend to it. He waits good-naturedly for it to begin to put down roots. He doesn’t expect that, overnight, a beautiful, mature “worry-free” plant will have sprung up. No, He is much wiser than that. And He is extremely patient, willing to wait as long as necessary for the full growth process to come to completion.

Yes, it’s a process. Remember Psalm 131? “Surely I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with his mother…” (v. 2). Weaning is another biblical metaphor for the process. Sometimes what our soul needs to be weaned off of, is worry. Just like weaning a baby is a gradual transition, so is the weaning of the soul.

Have you started the weaning process yet? It’s never too late! Today is a perfect day to begin.  Let’s begin to learn… to hand over to the Lord the things that trouble us, and trustingly leave them in His hands.

Today, a little more than yesterday… Tomorrow, a little more than today…
Worry less.

*****************************************************

Is God taking you through a weaning process? Have you given yourself permission to be in that process?