Relax In God's Timing

"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

I love this. I absolutely love this. I read this verse of the day this morning and it was like a shot of energy went right through me. It was as if I were languishing and someone hooked up an IV and started the drip and I instantly felt relief. Just look at this verse, read it a few times and let it roll over you. Let the peace and calmness settle in.

Let's start at the beginning of the verse, shall we? Right there off the bat it catches you, "do not be anxious." Oh, what wonderful word of wisdom! We live in a world filled with anxiousness, we deal with deadlines and timelines and checklists and that fantastic sense of urgency that says that everything must be done yesterday. Do not be anxious, but notice that it doesn't say to discard your troubles. It says next that "in everything...present your requests to God". It says everything! It doesn't say only the things that God will think important, it says everything. No matter what it is that is making you anxious, you turn to God and ask for his help.

This verse also tells us exactly how to ask God for his help. "By prayer and petition, with thanksgiving." In particular, notice the thanksgiving. It doesn't say with wailing and moaning and gnashing of teeth, it says with thanksgiving. Right off the bat, we need to thank God for taking care of our troubles before he even does it. And to me, I think that right there is the entire key to this verse I think. With thanksgiving. By thanking God we are putting out trust in Him. We are thanking Him before he does a work in us, showing that we have faith in His power and His love. Think about it. Let's say you are facing a harried week ahead. You have several tasks that need to be done, and you are dreading. Maybe you have a few meetings scheduled. You also have 3 or 4 activities you need to get your children to, and in there, you also need to fit in time to do some household tasks and feed your family. You are not looking forward to Monday morning. But you pray about it. You come before God and thank him for the week behind us, and thank Him for the opportunities of the week ahead. You ask for His help in accomplishing all your tasks smoothly and on time, and then you thank Him for his help and for his peace.

Boom, right there. You have put your trust in God that he will be with you throughout the coming week. And that is where this verse concludes, because then the peace of God will fill you. You will know that your week will run its course, and that God will be with you. Right there, the anxiousness and anxiety will wash away, and instead of being anxious about the week ahead, you are ready to tackle it head on, because you have God on your side. You have asked, and you will receive. The peace of God transcends all understanding. We don't need to understand it, actually, we just need to accept it and receive it.

Now how great is that?