Walk and Talk With Jesus

 Recently, I read a short blurb on what psychologists at the University of California Riverside have been attributed for discovering.  They say,

"About 85 % of the things we worry about never happen."

And I say, not flippantly, "Why worry when we can pray?"  That's actually lyrics of a song.

It talks about trusting Jesus because He'll uphold us and give us strength.  Bible verses bear this out.  One often quoted one is from 1 Peter 5:7.  It instructs,

" ... casting all your anxieties on Him, because He cares for you."

This is up close and personal.  These words are from God.  His love for each individual is personal.  He does not want us to be bound up in worry.

There's one amusing saying that is credited to Glenn Turner, the American.  With a tongue-in-cheek vibe, he said,

"Worry is like a rocking chair.  It gives you something to do, but it doesn't get you anywhere."

True enough.

So what is one thing that is going back and forth in your mind right now, or that has been going back and forth for a few days or weeks?  

God sees that chair and invites you to get off it.  Cast those cares and worries and anxieties on Him.  When you cast something, there is some force behind it.  Get rid of it, throw it determinedly away, upon Him.

Did you know that worry is a sin?  That shows we are not fully trusting our Lord.  So do be encouraged to cast those anxieties upon the Lord.

You can trade them, so don't carry them.  Look at Philippians 4:6.

" ... do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God."

In each and every fear and worry producing situation, we can, by prayer, petition, praise and thanksgiving, trade it in by giving it to God and letting Him know about it.  The worry is like the rocking back and forth on a rocking chair.  But prayer and relief come by handing it all over to Him.

Do you want to get out of that rocking chair in your mind?  When you catch yourself wavering back and forth, step out of that chair by pausing and praying and simply giving it to the Lord.  Pray and say something like:

"O Lord Jesus, I give you _________ ..."

Be encouraged to try it.  Go for a walk somewhere, by yourself, and tell Him about it.  Call it "a walk and talk with Jesus".

In parks, one often sees men  or women walking and talking a mile a miute with each other.  Walk with the One who is ever beside you.  Talk a mile a minute with Him as you walk.

One sister told me she sings.  She will go for a walk along a beach where there is no one around.  She sings to the Lord and that helps lift her heart.

He loves you and cares about you.  Sing or whisper to Him softly or in your heart of hearts as you walk along, taking in the ambiance of the park's trees and gardens, or of the tranquil beach.

Get out of the rocking chair, look up through the foliage.  Cast all your cares, worries and anxieties upon Him.

"He will strengthen you, ... will help you, ... will uphold you with [His] righteous right hand" (Isaiah 41:10 ESV).

Don't worry.  Trust Him.  Fear not.  Do not be dismayed.  He's there for you.  Let Him help you guard your heart and mind.  

O Jesus, friend unfailing, we've all got rocking chairs in our heads.  Strengthen us.  Help us trade all that worry for prayer today, because You care for us.  Thank You, Jesus.

                                                 ~  ERC  June 2026  ~

Based on Philippians 4:6-7 ESV.

Sing, Why Worry When You Can Pray, along with Al Smith and Helen McAlerney Barth.

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