Worship or Worry

I received an e-mail Sunday afternoon with this challenge: My friend said that the message that morning was a challenge to worship instead of worry---she passed it on to us and said she was praying for our family for healing. It was an encouragement--yet a challenge--I stopped to ponder--would I be able to worship the next time something happened? The way our summer had gone I was sure it wouldn't be long until the next test happened :-) I began to worship and praise God as I rushed around my Monday chores and errands.....worship that is until I saw the lights in the mirror--you all know what that means :-)

I sat in the car waiting for the officer to review my license and hand me the fine...my stomach churned as I thought of the bills that needed paid and the money we didn't have....the choice was clear: worship or worry. I feebly reached out to God and said, Ok I'm willing to worship but I need help here! To my utter shock and amazement the officer handed me a written WARNING! without any pleas or begging on my part and I drove away with no fine! I felt a peace and confirmation in my heart--God's response to my desperate cry. Yet somehow I felt this was a mini-test, a practice run before the final exam....

Sure enough! It's Tuesday and we just got a call from our realtor--our appeal to the loan board was totally rejected and the appraisal stands as given--$9000 less than the contracted price. Faced with the choice again: do I worship or worry? Worry that I don't have enough or worship that He is enough?

It's easy to struggle with discouragement and wonder how we will ever get out of this mess....yet I also know that we won't have the chance to see God work if we don't stop and wait................and worship.

I will worship, with all of my heart
I will praise you, with all of my strength
I will seek you, all of my days
I will follow, all of your ways

I will give you, all my worship
I will give you, all my praise
You alone, I long to worship
You alone, are worthy of my praise
You are worthy of my praise

I will bow down, and I'll hail you as king
I will serve you, I will give you everything
I will lift up my eyes to your throne
I will trust you, I will trust you alone