Philippians 4:6-7 (NKJV)
“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.”
What is that angst? What is that dread? What is that anxiousness that takes over us when something isn’t as it ought to be? The money in our pocket doesn’t go as far as it used to. The leadership we once trusted has shown its true colors and ill-intent toward us. Simple freedoms of speaking our mind now carry concerns of isolation, unacceptance or even retribution. Those with positions and powers greater than ours are making decisions we would never make. What’s worse, the talk in mainstream news tells us we’re crazy and seeing things all wrong. There’s nothing to see here. There’s no course correction required.
That was my anxiousness until I remembered what God tells us to do in these situations. He tells us not to be anxious. Sometimes just hearing that produces an automatic revolt in our brains. “But you don’t know how bad this is”. “What if this happens” (or doesn’t happen). “How can I not be anxious”? We have to catch our resistance and reign it in before we can move forward and follow instructions.
He tells us to pray. This requires relationship. We can pray to God for help but are we asking our friend and father or are we standing on the corner yelling for any god that will hear? Don’t be confused. Relationship is required. Remember, the “Our Father” prayer? (Matthew 6:9-13) Whether we’ve been walking away, walking toward or walking with, our relationship must be in tact for prayer.
He tells us to ask. Why would He instruct us to ask if He had no intention of answering? Is God good? Is God able? Is God powerful? Is God always in control? Of course, He is all these things and more. We ask Him for our needs and our wants. We ask for the hopes we have for ourselves, our families, our neighbors, our churches, our country and our world. In asking, we acknowledge our need for Him. It restores our focus much like it did for Peter when he asked Jesus for help when he started to sink on the water. (Matthew 14:28-30) He tells us to ask, so we ask.
He tells us to give thanks. How do we do that when times are hard? The Bible says that it is the goodness of the Lord that leads us to repentance. (Romans 2:4) We are in a position in our country where repentance is required. We would still be blind to that had the tides not turned and the true colors of “the powers that be” not been revealed. Be grateful. Be thankful that you can see the truth. Thank Him for His mercy in showing us again our need for Him and our need for repentance. Thank Him that we are never alone. Thank Him that He is never surprised. Thank Him that He is always in control. In humble repentance and submission to Him, be thankful.
How will He answer? We do not know the intricacies of all He will do but when we pray and ask, we can leave the results to Him. We know who He is. We know He is capable and in control. Because we know Him we can trust Him. When we have handed everything to God we don’t have to carry it ourselves. We can walk in peace. That is how we manage these days. We seek God in prayer. We place all our trust in Him and ask Him about our concerns. This is what He tells us to do, what He promises to give, and in the end, that is the answer to how we live in hard and anxious days. We pray, ask, and then receive His peace. That is the secret.
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