There is a command in God's Word that I have been ignoring: "Do not be anxious about anything". I gave many excuses for my tendency to worry: my personality type, my hectic life, my natural reactions to stress... but the Lord spoke through my justifications with the very real instruction that I am not supposed to worry.
Philippians 4:6 says:
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.
An incredible quality of God's Word is the fact that He never gives us blind commands with no practical way to follow them. He instructs us how we are to act, and then gives us reasonable applications for carrying out His command in our lives. Instead of letting anxiety grip our thoughts and keep us from honoring the Lord with our minds, we are to communicate with God. When I focus on thanking the Lord for the many blessings He's put in my life, it puts my anxiety in perspective. For one thing, I have His SALVATION. He has "redeemed my life from the pit" (Psalm 103:4) and restored my joy to me (Psalm 51:12). He has promised that "He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it" (1 Thess. 5:24). Another practical way to quell anxiety is by bringing my requests to the Lord and trusting Him. He tells us to "Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him, and he will act." (Psalm 37:5) My salvation is in the one who holds ALL things together - He can definitely handle my life. It's freeing to know that I don't have to have all the answers or the plans. He will act.
Not only does the Lord convict us with His commands and give us practical ways to follow them, but He promises good things when we follow those commands. The promise that follows Philippians 4:6 blows my mind:
And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:7)
The opposite of anxiety is peace. When we bring our requests to the Lord in prayer and supplication, thanking Him for His work- when we abandon our anxiety- the PEACE of God is going to guard our hearts and our minds. I love 1 Thessalonians 5:23 that says "Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." I want to obey the Lord and abandon my anxiety for a peace that surpasses all understanding. This God- His way is perfect; the Word of the Lord proves true; and He is a shield for all those who take refuge in Him.
xoxo
Kinsey
