"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." - Philippians 4:6 (NIV)
This is one of my favorite verses. I have this one memorized and it's one I love to quote. It's the verse I fall back on when life is handing me worries, fears and anxieties.
God is telling me I have nothing in this world that I should be worried about. Not my finances, not my health, not my relationships, not my kids or grandkids.....absolutely NOTHING!! I wish I could say I always do as this verse tells me, however, as a human being and sinner, I do let my fears and anxieties take hold of me. I am learning, though, to "let go and let God" much sooner than I used to.
In 1 Chronicles 28:20b (NIV), David tells his son, Solomon, "Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord God, my God, is with you. He will not fail you or forsake you." These words also apply to me today. God is always with me. He won't distance Himself or turn His back on me. I'm the one who does that to Him. When I do, He waits patiently for me to get my act together and lay my troubles at His feet.
But it's not just my troubles He expects. He also expects me to see, even in the midst of disappointment or tragedy, that I still have things to be thankful for. Sometimes it's very difficult to see the blessings He has bestowed on me but it's not because they're not there. It's because I refuse to look for them. Sometimes, I want to be the victim. I want others to feel sorry for me because of this awful thing I'm going through, whatever it may be. However, if I may paraphrase this verse, God says, "SUCK IT UP!! Turn to me, give me your problem. I'm here, let me help you!!"
I'm so grateful to know that I don't have to face anything alone. God is here, He is available, He is waiting....the rest is up to me. He's more than able to lead me through my fear, heartache, uncertainty, frustration, anger....I just have to give it all to Him.
"We must lay our questions, frustrations, anxieties and impotence at the feet of God and wait for His answer. And then receiving it, we must live by faith." - Kay Arthur
Heavenly Father, thank You for Your faithfulness to me when I am so unfaithful to You. I love this verse, Lord. Remind me of it when I am going through adversity. May I turn to You first instead of last. You are always with me and for that I am grateful. Teach me not to fear, Lord, but to leave everything at Your feet and trust that You will take care of me. In Jesus' name, Amen.
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