Philippians 4:6-7
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.(NIV)
Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. (NLT)
Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.(MSG)
How often can our anxious souls keep God from working in our hearts? Ultimately, an anxious soul refuses to consider His love and greatness. It dethrones God from our hearts. It sets up a stage for our own illusions of control, when in reality, we don’t have any control at all. If we believe we’re in control, we worry and become anxious. Things we don’t have control over then rule our thoughts as we try and control them. In turn, our attempts at controlling the uncontrollable gives way for the uncontrollable to control us.
That’s why we pray. From the very first sin from the beginning of time to all our other sins, they all say the same thing: it’s a fight for who’s in control. But life in our hands makes us anxious. Life in God’s hands brings peace. When we pray our situations to God it allows His love to consume us rather than our anxiousness. We know when we have His complete peace when we believe that God is greater and that whatever this is won’t separate us from His love. When we turn our worry into thankfulness, we can see God’s hand at work in our lives. Then the next time worry comes and asks to be let in, there’s an impenetrable guard at the door.
Instead of seeking more control, which is putting ourselves in the place of God, seek more of God. If His peace that guards our hearts and minds can’t fully be understood, then God and His ways fall in the same category. There’s so much more to seek and understand in Him.
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