Philippians 4:6-7
6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
When I am anxious or angry or afraid my tendency is either to lean into those feelings and let them overwhelm me as I wallow in them. Or I try to engineer a version of peace for myself. Sometimes I do this by trying to change my circumstances or environment. Sometimes I focus on changing my perspective. Most often it means that I frantically pour my energy into fixing whatever I perceive my problem to be . . . which in the end just makes me more worn out and in a worse state than when I started.
So often I forget to bring my needs, my feelings, or my fears to God. I try to play the role of God in my own life and act as if I can grant myself peace. What foolishness. What a waste of time and energy. I’m reminded of those lyrics from the old hymn:
O what peace we often forfeit,
O what needless pains we bear
All because we do not carry
Everything to God in prayer.
It is needless pain because God has told us what to do when we are overwhelmed. 6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. He has assured us of peace that is not tied to circumstance but tied to him in all his love and power and goodness and faithfulness. When we come to God with needs, he offers peace that makes no earthly sense–calm, serenity, true perspective on what matters, true hope for the future.
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.
