Learning Not to Borrow Tomorrow’s Trouble - Your Nightly Prayer - August 11
Learning Not to Borrow Tomorrow's Trouble
Your Nightly Prayer
TONIGHT’S SCRIPTURE
"Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?" -Mathew 6:27
SOMETHING TO PONDER
If we're honest, many of us spend more time living in tomorrow than we do today. Our minds wander to the doctor's appointment next week, the conversation we need to have, the bills waiting to be paid, the future of our children, our careers, our health, or the prayer we've been waiting for God to answer. Before tomorrow even arrives, we've already lived it a hundred times in our minds. And since most of tomorrow is full of unknowns, we spend most of our time worrying about tomorrow because a lot of what-ifs are at play.
The problem is that most of the things we worry about never happen the way we imagine. Jesus knew this tendency in the human heart, which is why He asked such a simple yet profound question: Can worrying add a single hour to your life?
Of course it can't.
Worry doesn't make us more prepared. It doesn't change outcomes. It doesn't solve tomorrow's problems before they arrive. More often than not, it simply steals today's peace. I've found myself doing this more times than I can count. During difficult seasons, I would lie awake imagining every possible outcome, and most of the outcomes I imagined were worst-case scenarios. I thought that if I could prepare for the worst, it might not hurt as much if it happened. But instead of protecting my heart, worry only exhausted it.
I realize that during those times of severe worrying, I spent precious moments carrying burdens that never became reality. I borrowed tomorrow's trouble and missed the grace God had already provided for today. Or missed out on answered prayers and blessings given today, because I was so focused on tomorrow. And if I’m honest, I missed the joy in today as well. Sometimes worrying about the future would completely ruin my day or multiple days.
How many beautiful moments have we overlooked because our minds were somewhere else in the future? How many answered prayers have we failed to notice because we were already anxious about the next one?
Jesus isn't asking us to pretend tomorrow doesn't exist. In tonight’s Scripture, He’s asking the question as He invites us to remember who will already be there when tomorrow comes, because worrying does nothing for us; it doesn’t add a single hour to our life. The God who sustained you yesterday will not suddenly stop being faithful in the morning. Maybe that's why He only gives us enough to sustain us for today. If He gave us tomorrow's plan and outcome today, we might stop depending on Him tomorrow.
So tonight, instead of trying to solve every unanswered question before you fall asleep, simply place tomorrow back into the hands of the One who already holds it. Your future has never been safer than it is in the hands of your faithful Father.
YOUR NIGHTLY PRAYER
Dear Father,
Tonight I confess that I often carry worries You never asked me to carry. My mind races ahead, trying to control things that haven't even happened yet. Forgive me for believing that my worrying somehow accomplishes what only Your sovereignty can.
Thank You for reminding me that You already know everything waiting for me tomorrow. Nothing will surprise You. Nothing will catch You off guard. Every conversation, every challenge, every opportunity, and every unknown has already passed through Your loving hands before it ever reaches mine.
Help me exchange my "what ifs" for confidence in who You are. When anxious thoughts begin to crowd my mind, gently remind me that You have been faithful in every season of my life. You've carried me through heartbreak, uncertainty, disappointment, and waiting before, and You will faithfully carry me again.
As I lie down tonight, I surrender every fear about tomorrow. Fill my heart with the peace that comes from knowing I don't have to carry the future because You already do. Teach me to live fully in the gift of today, noticing Your goodness instead of being distracted by tomorrow's possibilities.
Tonight, I choose trust over fear, and peace over worry.
In Your mighty name I pray,
Amen.
THREE THINGS TO MEDITATE UPON
What future situation have I been carrying that God never asked me to carry today?
How has God faithfully provided for me in past seasons that once caused me anxiety?
What would change about my life if I truly believed that God is already waiting for me tomorrow?
Reflect on tonight’s prayer and share how God met you there. Join the Your Nightly Prayer discussion on the Crosswalk Forum.
Photo Credit: ©Unsplash/Benjamin Davies
Alisha Headley is a writer + speaker who has a desire to meet the everyday woman in her everyday life with biblical truth. Stepping into her true calling, she left the corporate world behind as a former-financial VP to love on her family as a stay-at-home wifey + dog mama, while also being able to pursue her passion as a writer. Healing from a chapter of life consumed with lies she once believed about herself, she is inspired to point women to Christ to experience the freedom + power to overcome those lies with the truth written in God’s word. In her free time, Alisha enjoys road trips around the country, working out so she can eat her favorite foods, and creatively styling her outfits with a craft for fashion. Alisha is a proud wifey and dog mama living in Scottsdale, Arizona.
You can follow her blog by visiting her website alishaheadley.com or connect with her on facebook + instagram.
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