As I referenced in my last post, Philippians 4:6-7 says, “⁶ Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. ⁷ And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

As I’ve sought to obey this passage, I want to be transparent about the roadblocks I’ve been hitting for the sake of creating conversation. One challenge I’ve had with applying this text is related to trusting God. I would rather think about my issues than pray about them because I still struggle to believe, at times, that God has my best interest at heart.

I know in my head that he does, but my heart doesn’t always believe it. When I begin to pray about an issue, it exercises a trust muscle that is still quite out of shape. By the simple act of praying, my spirit is saying to God that I trust him more than I trust myself. I would like to say that this is a no-brainer, but this is a battle for me.

Do we legitimately believe that God has our best interest at heart? Do we believe that he knows what is best for us even more than we do? If we actually believe this stuff, prayer  ought to be relatively easy for us. I mean, why wouldn’t we take all our cares and concerns to an all-powerful and all-knowing God who loves us dearly? It doesn’t make sense that he wouldn’t, unless we have some underlying trust issues that are stuffing our would-be prayers back in our faces.

I have found over the years, that the first step to recovery is usually recognition. What kind of barriers do you hit when you pray? I’d love to hear your feedback.