DEVOTION - Day 18

Philippians 4:6-7 (New International Version)


6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.


How often do you worry? How often are you focused on the uncertainties of the future? At what points in life do you find that you try to figure things out on your own the most? For me, it’s more often than I would care to admit. In fact this Scripture has ministered to me on numerous occasions over the last several years.

There are a number of things in this verse that should open our eyes to discovering further the character of God. The first is that we should not be anxious “about anything.” And, I think that’s important. We often find ourselves in situations that are ‘severe’ enough that we allow ourselves to worry and obsess over them – to an unhealthy degree. But here we see that we should not be anxious about anything. Not the test that’s coming tomorrow. Not the job that we recently applied for. Not our sick relative. Nothing.

It then tells us what we should do when we feel anxious – pray. And not just pray and ask for what we want, but also to give God thanks. I believe that means we should thank Him for whatever we’re worrying about too. That may be tough in most situations, but it is something that could certainly mature us in our faith, huh?

Finally, we see in verse 7 what will happen if we are not anxious and we turn it all over to God along with our thanks – he will answer the prayer in exactly the way we asked Him to. Just seeing if you were paying attention! No, He won’t necessarily answer it in the way we want. But, what the verse does promise us is that He will send us His peace and He will guard our hearts and our minds. In other words, we know that God is faithful to help us and that, when we place our problems, and hopes, and dreams in His capable, loving hands, we can find a peace that “transcends all understanding” in the midst of whatever we’re going through.

As I said in the beginning, I find that I am a worrier. My mom is a worrier, so I come by it honestly. However, it can get unhealthy if I let my mind go too far and I allow the thoughts of the enemy in my head and dwell on the what-if’s of life too much. This Scripture is a good reminder that the peace of God is much better for me than the anxiety of my own imagination.

So, today, pray that God will give you the ability to see when you are worrying and not letting God be God in your life. Ask that He give you the peace that transcends all understanding no matter what situation you are up against. Finally, ask God to protect your hearts and minds so that you can live your life free of the worry that brings so many people down these days.