Shape Worries into Prayers

This is from my Lose it for Life Devotional. It spoke to me about my worries and anxiety about my surgery.

Don't fret or worry. Instead of worrying , pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. 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. ~ Philippians 4:6-7 (The Message)

Aware of our tendency toward anxious, emotional eating, we must instead transform our worries into prayers. By turning to God with our fears and emotions, we let Him know our heart. It is then that He brings everything together for us. Our faith in His
loving attention and protection is renewed. We are now able to settle down because we know Who is in control.

Our anxieties and worries are usually about things over which we want control but can't have it. Worries can be touched off by the fear that we will lose something we have--or that we won't get something we want. In the past, we have either eaten too much or avoided eating because it was something we felt we could control.

But fretting, worrying and over/undereating do not accomplish much more than sheer harm to our overall wellness. When prayer and praise replace these behaviors and Christ is at center stage, a wonderful sense of peace and serenity flows.

Today, Lord, I turn over my worries and concerns to You, praising You for Your love and grace for my recovery.