In the Land of Anxious and Overwhelmed
“O do not be anxious about anything, 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 your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7 ESV
Do you ever feel like time is just flying by? You blink, and before you know it, your days are slipping through your hands like sand through an hourglass. That was my exact thought this morning. I was looking over my calendar and realized I had 15 days until my son started back to school and my daughter would be heading back to college. Where did the time go? It didn’t feel like we even had a summer at all. I had so many fun things planned, and I was running out of time.
Just pondering over the little amount of time I had left before life got even crazier left me with an anxious and overwhelmed soul. I’m not going to lie. With all the drama and temptations of middle school and all the heaviness and worry of college, I silently wished I could just keep my kids with me forever and we would just have picnics and playdates for the rest of our lives. But I knew that wasn’t reality. Besides, they have long outgrown playdates and childhood picnics.
But there was so much worry on my heart for both of my children. How were they going to navigate through life this year? Would they shine their light for Jesus bright or would they fade into the crowd, and wander off the narrow path? What was the enemy’s plan and how was he going to try to trip them up this year? A lot was weighing on my mind and heart.
We are reminded in Philippians 4:6-7 “O do not be anxious about anything, 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 your minds in Christ Jesus.”
This is one of my favorite Bible verses and it is a truth that is hard to do sometimes. Worry seems to be what I gravitate towards first. But God tells me right here in this verse not to be anxious about anything. Anything at all. If God says it, then I should do it for sure. He knows best after all. There is something fascinating to me about this verse. There is a key embedded in this verse that unlocks the promise. Did you see it?
It’s Thanksgiving! Friend, the truth of the matter is, it is hard to be thankful when all you are feeling is worried and anxiety. However, we must remember that God is trying to show us something that He knows, and we obviously don’t. When we approach our prayer time with a grateful and thankful heart, being thankful for the opportunity to present our worries and our anxious thoughts to God, He provides His promise of peace. The promise to our anxious, weary soul is peace, my friend. Not just any kind of peace either. It’s the peace that surpasses ALL understanding. It’s God’s peace. This peace stands as a guard over our hearts and our mind. You can’t get any better than that!
Reflection Time:
What worries are you carrying around today? What anxious thoughts are invading your peace? What burdens do you have weighing heavy on your heart for your children? God never meant for us to carry these burdens around and try to figure solutions out ourselves. He longs for you and me to bring them to Him. And He promises peace for our souls.