This path toward peace is a journey. It’s not easy but it’s worth it. If you did not read part one, you can go back and do that here. Although I am sharing this content in the span of a week, please know it may not come that quickly. It can be a lifelong journey. I was going to title this series “a path to peace,” but realized swapping out for the word “toward” would be more realistic.
Some of you may recognize the verses I am highlighting today. The first is one of the most “famous” verses for anxiety and has been a comfort to me many times over many years. I hope examining these verses a little closer brings you comfort and helps guide you on the path toward peace.
Philippians 4:6 – “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”
This might be the most famous verse in the bunch. For anyone who has dealt with anxiety or worry, this might be a go-to verse or even “life verse” for them. Right here, Paul tells us what to do with our anxiety. First of all, he tells us not to be anxious. I am so glad the verse does not end there. Anxiety is not easily turned off or on like a light switch. So, what do we do with this anxiety? We are to take it to God. But we aren’t just to lay it all out there as worry and anxiety, we are to pair it with thanksgiving. This might seem counter-intuitive. There is a purpose. Bringing our worries to God along with thanksgiving refocuses our mind on what is going well and away from what is just going wrong. I love when modern science and psychology line up with God’s Word. This is one of those places. When we replace our worries with gratitude, it rewires our brain to focus on the good and to look for the good.
Practical application: This is not meant to be prescriptive, but I will share how I live out this verse. Every morning, I get out my notebook. I put the word gratitude at the top of a new page and I write 3 things I am thankful for from the day before. After that (and only after that), I begin to write out my prayer requests. This allows me to first focus on God’s goodness and blessing in my life and approach Him with the right posture.
Philippians 4:7 – “And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
Awww…in this verse Paul tells us that we can have the peace of God…you know that peace that transcends beyond our human comprehension…the peace that keeps out the worry from the world…or at least the peace that keeps us from getting swept up into the worries of the world. BUT, we don’t want to miss the most important word of the verse (in my opinion). That is the very first word of the verse…And. To me, the word “and” attaches it to the verse or verses before it. It’s saying, you do these things I have talked about (in verses 4-6) and you can get that peace. The unfathomable peace. The peace that allows us to rest in the fact that God is good, that He is near, that He listens to us, and that only through Him can we live anxiety free.
Practical application: This involves actually doing what’s in verses 4-6.
*Note: This is not a simple math equation. Rejoice+be gentle+pray=peace. God is sovereign over all, and He is in full control. But I can focus on turning back to Him, and choosing to be grateful, and focus on how I treat others, and in all of this know that I have done my part. The rest is up to Him.
Check out the video for part two.
Recent Comments