“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6 & 7 (NIV)
Are you a worrywart? If so, this verse is for you. I was teaching on this verse last week to my fourth graders during Bible and it really struck me. I stopped mid lesson and grabbed my phone. I typed the reference in my notes in my phone. I explained to the students that I was going to be mediating on this verse over the next few days. That led to one student asking me, “What does it mean to meditate?” I explained that for me to mediate on this verse I would read it several times over the next few days, I would think about it, and I would pray through it.
Let’s dissect this verse. I don’t know if it’s because I love math, but I see this verse like an equation:
take your requests, whatever you are worrying about, to God + thank God for your situation = peace
Take note that we are not just to pray and take our requests to the Lord, but we are to do it with a thankful heart. When is the last time you thanked God for the difficult situation you are worrying about? That questions stings me a little, okay, a lot. When my mind is spinning with worry, being thankful isn’t my knee jerk reaction. Yet, look at the result…peace which will guard our hearts and our minds. Hello! Isn’t that what we want? To have our hearts and minds guarded by God’s peace.
Let me encourage you today to stop what you are doing right now and thank God for the difficult situation in your life that is causing you to worry. Lift up a prayer of thanks to the Lord. The result will be peace, peace that transcends all understanding, peace that will guard you heart and mind in Christ Jesus. What a beautiful promise from the Lord!
