Today I would like to share the grace of God under the title, “Do Not Be Anxious about Anything, But Present Your Requests to God.” Due to Adam’s sin, most people live their lives with anxiety and worry in a world filled with thorns and thistles. Anxiety and worry bring enormous stress so as to make circumstances that the devil can use to bring on diseases. Doctors say that stress may lead to all kinds of illnesses. We usually think that when we sleep soundly all fatigue and stress will be released, but it is not true. According to the research of Penn State University in USA, if we fall asleep with a stressful heart and mind, we will wake up in a higher state of stress. If our quality of sleep drops due to stress, the next day's stress will grow more and then we won’t be able to sleep well again and end up being tangled in a vicious cycle of stressful sleep. Therefore, we should not leave stress. It should be dealt with first. Jesus said that our anxious hearts are a field surrounded by thorns. We usually think that worries do not matter, but Jesus said the Word of God can’t bear fruit in our hearts because of worry. Mark 4:18-19 says, “Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful.” He compared the heart filled with worries to thorns. When a seed falls among thorns it can’t bear fruit. Likewise, when our hearts are choked with worries, the word of God can’t bear fruit there. George Muller, Father of orphans, said, "Where faith starts, there will be no worries; where worries start, faith will end there. Worries are contrary to faith and the best way to cast them out is to pray." Philippians 4:6-7 says, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Whenever worries knock at the door of our hearts, we should always commit them to the Lord through prayer. He said, “Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances.” Then how can we pray without ceasing? Worries and anxiety always come to us so whenever they approach us, we must wake up from sleep or whatever situation we may be in and commit it to the Lord. If they come into our hearts, we must throw them promptly like a basketball player and say, “Lord, here you are! Please accept them. In Jesus’ name I pray.” Every moment we must leave all our worries and anxiety to God. Only Jesus can overcome all pain like that caused by thorns and thistles and give us peace of mind and joy and hope instead. 2 Corinthians 4:7-9 says, “But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.” Even if we become stressed out, we can be more than conquerors as long as Jesus is within us. What people worry and become anxious about is mostly about tomorrow. However, we don’t know what will happen tomorrow. James 4:14 says, “Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.” Therefore, it is very foolish to live with unhappiness today while worrying about tomorrow. Jesus said, “ Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”(Matthew 6:34) Our weary and burdened life seems to be like taking a trip or celebrating holidays like Korean thanksgiving Day. Next month we will enjoy the holiday season of Korean thanksgiving Day. It will be a very long holiday season so from now on many people make plans for their travel and prepare for it earnestly. Then whenever we visit express bus terminal or the airport, there is always a very common scene. People carry their heavy baggage on their shoulders or pull a carrier; the people are invisible but only their baggage is visible. They walk with large backpacks on their backs and carry little bags in their hands; there are so many bags everywhere so people are almost buried and invisible among so much baggage. Then it is the same with our lives. We tend to walk with a large backpack of sin on our back and carry baggage of worries, anxiety, restlessness, and frustration in our hand and become weary and burdened with all that heavy baggage on our journey of life. Christian writer Max Lucado said in his book titled, “Traveling Light,” that he would meditate on Psalm 23 every day to carry out his baggage of life. Let us read it together. “The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.” When we read it and meditate on it, we can find the grace to put down all our burdens in life there. Worries and anxiety and restlessness and discouragement all put together become stress. While we receive stress in our heart, it may consume our whole heart and lead to physical diseases. The stressful pressures of our heart like worries, anxiety, restlessness or discouragement become harmful to our health. We wrongfully assume that stress is temporary. However, 60% of our physical and mental health depend on stress itself. Proverbs 17:22 says, “A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.” A crushed spirit is stress. it brings huge pain that dries up the bones. Proverbs 4:23 says, “Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.” At present we are living in the world where there is no peace of mind. In Luke chapter 10, one day Jesus visited the house of Martha and Mary. Martha was so preoccupied with all the preparation of food so she had no time to listen to the Word of the Lord. Luke 10:40 says, “But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made.” While Jesus was with her, she was so busy that she couldn’t afford to listen to His precious Words. However, Mary sat at the Lord's feet listening to His graceful words. Her sister Martha was so distracted with preparations of food that she ran from here to there and she couldn’t hear anything the Lord said and finally was very upset as her sister didn’t help her. So she came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!" Nobody forced her to work alone. She thought she had to treat Jesus well, but she was seriously challenged. Therefore, when we become stressful, even if Jesus is with us in the same room, we are unable to receive any grace from Him unless we pray. Nowadays there are so many Martha like believers around us. We must fix this kind of personality. From early in the morning till late evening they have to work like a cow that plows the field under the yoke. Then Jesus invites us to share the yoke together. However, we insist on taking the yoke all alone and suffer from plowing the field on our own. Although the Lord is with us, it is our reality to choose to worry and be anxious all alone. Even though the Lord invites us saying, ”Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest,” but we won’t listen. The Lord says, “I will take care of your heavy burdens.” Then we may say, “Why should you take care of my burden?” Then we become bloody all over our bodies. As our Savior Jesus is with us, we must commit our burdens to Him through prayer. How can we do that? Pray without ceasing. The Lord said, “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." “For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them." Our church is filled with the presence of Jesus. We must leave all our concerns to the Lord. By prayer we can commit it to Him. Don’t neglect it. Come before the Lord and repent of one’s sins and be washed by the blood of Jesus and commit all our burdens to Him by prayer. Jesus will take care of our burdens. Mark 11:24 says, “Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.” 2 Corinthians 2:9 says, “However, as it is written: ‘No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him’-- The Lord has prepared everything for us, but we lament because we don’t know anything about it. The yoke of Jesus is easy and His burden is light. The Lord said, “My burden is easy and light.”In our life it is very common to carry weary and heavy burdens. Matthew 11:28-30 says, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." In Israel, a calf is put under the yoke of a cow so they carry luggage or plow the field together. Our yoke is on Jesus’ neck so He invites us to take it under Him. Others may think, “They take yoke together with Jesus.” But we are under Jesus’ yoke and it isn’t put on our neck. When you come before the Lord with prayer, He will take your burden. Now you are under the yoke of Jesus and your burden doesn’t bother you at all. You are just following Jesus while looking at it. You know, how long should we pray till the Lord acknowledge us? When we kneel down before the Lord and pray, if restlessness, irritation, and despair are all gone and overflowing peace takes our hearts, our prayer comes to pass before Him. No matter how much we pray, if all those thoughts of the world still remain and we feel insecure and sometimes still praying with our lips but holding a mobile phone in one hand and keep saying, “Lord, help me. But wait a minute. I have to contact someone,” that kind of prayer won’t be answered! Prayer require concentration. When we really pray, we must first turn off the mobile phone and concentrate on our prayer, in this way all worries will get out of our hearts,and peace of mind comes instead. If that peace approaches, we know it instantly. “I pass the test. God takes charge of my problem.” If you have any experience of answered prayers, you know what I mean. The Lord wants to give us His rest. The Lord is so warm-hearted, gentle and humble that He never takes only big shots but any suffering and isolated person can come to Him and He will embrace each one. He invites us to come beneath His yoke and share our heavy burden with Him. Psalm 42:5 says, “Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior.” When we put our hope in God, He will come to help us. He says, “Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.” If we do not pray earnestly, He won’t appear to us. Psalm 55:22 says, “Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall.” 1 Peter 5:7 says, “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” How can we cast all our anxiety on Him? By prayer we leave it all to the Lord. If you are free from worries and concern, it will be evidence that the Lord finally carries your burdens. Proverbs 16:9 says, “In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps.” No matter how seriously and carefully we plan, it can’t be done in that way. Only if God plans will it be done! Psalm 37:5 says, “Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will do this.” Therefore, we must commit our way to the Lord. Then He will take charge of it and accomplish it. Don’t forget that we must leave it to the Lord through prayer. It is in our prayer that we cast our all anxiety on Him. Philippians 4:6 says, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” It means when you pray, you should turn off your mobile phone first and concentrate on your prayer to God and do not get distracted from your prayer. Don’t just pray. Rather pray all kinds of prayers and requests! Here requests means prayer with concentration. Once you enter to pray, you must cut off all other conversation. You should talk to God as you sit facing Him. English poet William Cooper said that anyone who gives up his prayer is like a soldier who gives up a victory in the battle. Our life is a spiritual warfare and we are God’s soldiers. Therefore, in any circumstances we should never abandon or neglect prayer. So we must not fear any circumstances. God says, “Do not fear. Do not be dismayed.” Isaiah 41:10 says, “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” How wonderful it is! Psalm 91:14-16 says, “"Because he loves me," says the LORD, "I will rescue him.” Here the word “love” means that he sticks to Him. God says, “He cling to me; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. He will call upon me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him. With long life will I satisfy him and show him my salvation." I write down this Psalm 91:14-16 and paste it in front of my desk and always read it whenever I come in and go out. It always becomes great comfort and strength. Why don’t you also write it down and paste it where you can easily read it and look at it whenever you come in and go out. It will help your faith. As the word of God is His power and strength, it will enter into your heart and give you courage and strength. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 says, “Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.” We must tell all our problems to the Lord and give Him thanksgiving and praises, we will prosper spiritually, physically, and materially. In summary, we must overcome all worries, anxiety, irritation, despair, and fear in our lives.