Still Fretting....

.....but trying NOT to. I've been reading through the New Testament in the Message Bible. I love that translation. I know it is a total paraphrase and has received some criticism for being what it is……but I really think Eugene Peterson captures the essence behind the meaning of the words and puts them in a language that resounds with us who live in this time period. I came upon the following verses in Philippians…. well known in the more traditional translations but worded just a bit differently in The Message.

Philippians 4:6 Don't fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. 7 Before you know it, a sense of God's wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It's wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life. 8 Summing it all up, friends, I'd say you'll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious--the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. 9 Put into practice what you learned from me, what you heard and saw and realized. Do that, and God, who makes everything work together, will work you into his most excellent harmonies.

So there you have it. Don’t worry or fret but rather pray. I’ve heard it said that prayer was not given to us to change God’s mind but rather to change our mind and will and bring it into alignment with his will. That, in turn, will enable us to say “thy will be done” and “even though he slay me, yet will I trust him.” Again….I am so not there yet. I am not even willing to pray for him to make me willing. I guess he has a long way to go with me.