Philippians
4:6-7 "Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer
and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
(7) And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall
keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."
These verses are often quoted and they are truly efficient when applied in our
lives. There are many things which cause our minds to become a flurry of
activity which in turn brings a sense of anxiety into our lives. Things happen
which are out of our control and that can bring a sense of anxiety which brings
unrest. In all honesty, I think I can usually turn the big things over to God
and not feel such a sense of anxiety. It's the little things that I feel I
should be able to handle that cause my mind to get in such a quandry. How can
we avoid this when it happens? How can we deal with it? Today's two
verses show us.
There are several elements that are involved in these verses. First, there is
the reality that anxiety does exist. The King James Version uses the word,
careful. "Be careful (anxious) for nothing." In the perfect
realm of God's kingdom, there is no worry. That happens because at that very
moment, our hearts and minds are focused on the very KING of kings. Isaiah
speaks to us in this manner, "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose
mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee." (Isaiah 24:3)
There is perfect peace in our lives when our mind is leaning heavily upon
the grace and mercy of God. We can experience that peace when our dependence is
placed in His wisdom and power connected with His perfect will for our lives,
coupled with our willingness to be obedient to His design for us.
So, how do we come to the place of being able to experience all this wonderful peace in our lives? Paul tells us in today's verses that it begins with prayer. We must humble ourselves to the place of confession that we are struggling and then submit to His guidance in our lives. He tells us "in EVERY thing by prayer and supplication WITH thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God." If you're like me, this thought comes to your mind, "God already knows everything." That is true, but there is something about confessing to God that activates that peace that is already residing within us. How is it residing already, when we are in such inner turmoil? Jesus Christ is our peace and He lives within us by way of the Holy Spirit. So the peace is already there. It is through praying and making our requests known, coupled with thanksgiving, that our minds are taken from the situation to the answer. It is at that moment that the peace of Jesus Christ comes to the surface and shines brighter than any struggle we may have. It is at that point that we relinquish trying to control life and submit it to our Lord. It works.