Scripture Reading: Philippians 4:4-9
“Be anxious for nothing, 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 minds through Christ Jesus.”—Philippians 4:6-7
A new year, new beginnings. Some look forward to this time with hopeful expectations. Others are shackled by fear and anxiety about what the future holds. A child afraid of the dark is scared to look under the bed for fear of seeing the very object of their fear lurking underneath. If we look to the future with fear, we’re certain to find exactly what we look for—something fearsome. Fear and anxiety can crush our hopes before they’re born, break our spirits before they take wing, and leave us fretful about things beyond our control.
It doesn’t have to be that way.
Today’s text tells us the answer to anxiety about anything is to pray about everything. That’s not a cliché but a legitimate solution to our fears. Anxieties over the future rob us of peace and tell us that our loving, gracious and infallible God is either incapable or unwilling to answer our pleas. Neither is true. When we pray, God whispers quiet peace to the storms in our lives. God’s Word petitions us to petition Him for peace and joy in the midst of anxious moments.
Prayer is the most powerful weapon in the disciple’s arsenal; it grants us instantaneous, unfettered and limitless access to The Almighty. Prayer is the very vehicle by which we surrender our most intimate frailties and vulnerabilities to God for His safeguarding. In prayer, God grants us peace, joy and hope in exchange for our fears, anxieties and worries.
As we embark upon new beginnings, continue to find shelter in prayer. There, God’s sovereign power effects change in our lives and gives assurance of His unfailing, unconditional love. Even if He decides to make no change in our circumstances, He promises to empower us with a serenity that carries us through every storm.
Lesson to Remember: The only fears and anxieties we can’t defeat are the ones we don’t lift to God in prayer.
“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”—2 Timothy 1:7
Our former Pastor, the late Dr. Theodore Cunningham used to say that if you pray, don’t worry. But if you are going to worry, don’t bother to pray. Over the years this has become a corner stone in my prayer life and strengthen my faith in God.
Dea Sox, Indeed, it’s essential that we trust God implicitly to handle our burdens instead of trying to carry them ourselves! Thank you for following the blog and commenting!