. . .do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
– Philippians 4:6-7
Some of us are beset by anxiety; it is a deep struggle and burden. All of us experience anxiety at times because of circumstances and issues we are facing. So in the face of anxiety, how are we to respond? This passage gives us direction and encouragement: we are to go to God with requests and with thanksgiving!
We tend to take requests to God with trepidation. We approach him as if he might not be able to help and as if we don’t have a multitude of evidence that he is sovereign and good and loving. But when we acknowledge and dwell on his grace, his power, his many kindnesses to us, and his profound work on our behalf in Christ, it overpowers worry and anxiety with peace. So to approach God with requests and thanksgiving is to come to him with great need but even greater awareness of who he is and what he has done. Then his peace will smother the worry.
I originally wrote this post for my church, Immanuel Nashville, in our Daily Pulse email. If you want encouragement from God’s word delivered Monday thru Friday to your inbox, I encourage you to subscribe.
