Wide Awake at 4:30 a.m. 

I have been awake since about 4:30 this morning—the morning I sat down to write this, Tuesday 6 October 2026. The day before, I had enjoyed a lovely day off with my daughter and grandson, and with my parents, who were celebrating 58 years of marriage. It should have been a day when I was fully present, enjoying precious time with people I love. Yet part of my mind was elsewhere, running through everything I needed to do that week and asking whether I should really have taken a day off. Had I left myself too much to do—including writing this blog?

Perhaps those thoughts followed me to bed. At 4:30 a.m., they were still there, circling: How am I going to get everything done? How am I going to get through the day when I am already tired?

As I lay awake, I began thinking about Jesus and all that the Bible says about not worrying. Of course, knowing those verses does not always make worry disappear. How often have I brought   my worries to God, handed them over—and then, before long, grabbed them back  to worry about it some more.

That can leave me feeling cross with myself.

I spend so much of my time telling families and young people not to worry: God has it all in hand. Jesus knows your name and cares about every part of your life, including the ordinary, mundane, day-to-day things. I know this. I believe this. So why do I sometimes find it so difficult to do.

In Philippians 4:6–7, Paul gives us a practical response: bring everything to God in prayer, with thanksgiving. This is not simply a command to stop worrying. It is an invitation to redirect each anxious thought into an honest prayer: “This is what I fear. This is what I need. This is what I cannot control.”

I wonder how many times I have returned to this passage to remind myself of its truth. It is many! I am also reminded of the sleepless nights when I have prayed and handed my worries to God, only to find myself later on bended knee, thanking him for carrying me through…. Again! Our God is faithful and keeps his promises.

So today, tired though I may be, I am choosing to bring everything to God in prayer and thanksgiving, remembering the words of Philippians 4:6.

I am choosing to follow the invitation in 1 Peter 5:7: “
Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.”

And I am choosing to remember Psalm 118:24: “This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.” I do not need to solve the whole week at 4:30 in the morning. I only need to receive this day and take the next faithful step.

When worry grows loud, I can return to this simple truth: God is here, God cares, and God will give me what I need for the next step. Perhaps I will need to hand the same worry back to him more than once. That is all right. Trust is not always a single brave moment; sometimes it is a repeated choice, made in the quiet darkness before the day begins.

Loving God, you know the thoughts that keep circling in my mind and the situations I cannot control. Help me to receive your care today. Give me wisdom for the step in front of me, courage to ask for help and grace to release tomorrow into your hands. Guard my heart and mind with your peace, and remind me that I do not walk alone. Amen.