Philippians 4:6-8 (NLT)
“ Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. 7 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.
8 And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.”
These verses became my favourites when I was a teenager. Those were the years that I was sorting out what I believed, and what I thought was the right thing to do as I spent less time with my family, and more time at school, with school friends, and at my part-time job. My Sunday School teacher, Mrs. Grant, gave each of us in her class a fancy card with that verse on it, and told us to tuck it in our mirrors at home so that we could be aware of God’s instructions for living well.
Now that I’m older, I still like that verse a lot. I find this verse helps me when I tend to get bogged down in anxiety and depressing thoughts. If I’m willing to pray about everything, and I “fix my thoughts” on positive and uplifting things, life has so much more hope.
The Philippian church was anxious. They were experiencing a lot of persecution from the Jewish leaders and from the Roman occupying forces. Their future was definitely not certain. So Paul has some advice for them. “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.”
I guess you could say – Pray, pray, pray. He also tells them to pray with thanksgiving. That’s interesting. When I am worried about something, how can I pray with thanksgiving? I can because the Bible also tells me “And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” So I can actually say, ‘thank you God for watching over me while … (fill in the blanks). Thank you that I’m not alone’.
I see two things that are guarded by God – my mind and my emotions. Both are under attack when I’m anxious. The thoughts that go through my head about what might possibly happen are extremely unsettling. I find it hard to concentrate on the simplest of chores around the house. My emotions are all over the place. I feel like I could break down crying way too easily. I get angry about the stupidest things because my emotions are not under control. Prayer changes all that.
And then there is another wonderful piece of advice. Focus on “what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.” Just stop and think about the things God has given you throughout your life. Think about what God has done in your family, with your friends, at your church.
I am so thankful for the peace that God gives. It really is incomprehensible. If I didn’t have God’s divine intervention in my life, I would be falling apart – totally failing at coping. Although I wouldn’t say I deserve an A+ in coping skills, I am aware of God’s presence and I know He will sustain me no matter what the outcome. For that I am so thankful! It is something that every single one of us can be thankful for!
Philippians 4:6-8 New Living Translation (NLT)
“ Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. 7 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.
8 And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.”
Our song for today is Rest in Me by Todd Vaters.