“Where God rules, peace reigns.”
Thoughts from daily Bible reading for today – November 27, 2022
For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control. 2 Timothy 1:7
This week as a friend and I were talking, she shared about her struggle with worry. “It’s something I pick up every day. I go to bed and lay worry down when I lay my head on the pillow. But then I wake the next morning and I pick it up again. I just start worrying from where I left off the day before.”
My friend’s worry habit isn’t uncommon. Many of God’s kids struggle with anxiousness over what is to come.
Philippians 4:6-7 says, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, 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 minds in Christ Jesus.”
I love that this scripture reveals that we can choose not to be anxious (or to worry.) It doesn’t mean that we won’t wrestle with it. It doesn’t mean that worry will never come knocking on the door of our hearts. But it does mean that we can make the decision not to “pick up” worry the way my friend described. We don’t have to allow worry to consume us. It doesn’t have to be our master.
But how?
This week as I attended a women’s Bible study, one of the women at our discussion table said something that made me say “Wow!”
“The parts of your life that are off-limits to God are the places where you worry.”
Ooooh. So good.
This means that where God rules, peace reigns. But in the places in our lives where we don’t trust Him, worry can take root. Her comment also reminded me that worry is a way we try to control what is happening in our lives rather than surrender our lives to Him.
This is exactly what Philippians 4:6-7 reveals. It’s a command to surrender our concerns to God, to give them to Him, rather than keep them “off limits” to Him.
So, if you’re like my friend who picks up worry each morning and feels suffocated by it, remember, worry is a way we try to control what’s happening in our lives. Also remember it’s a sign that we do not believe God can be trusted or that He is in control. Next, pray like Philippians commands, but once you do, don’t pray and worry, instead pray and give thanks.
Thank Him for what he’s going to do.
Thank Him that He hears you.
Thank Him that He is in control.
Thank Him that He loves you.
Then, as Philippians says, “the peace of God which transcends all understanding will guard your heart and mind in Christ Jesus.”
This is the power of trusting and believing in God.
“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid” (John 14:27).
Prayer
Lord, I give you my worries today. I will not pick them back up after I have given them to you. You are in control. You love me. You hear me. And you are good, you are so good. Thank you, Jesus. Amen.
Application
Practice what you learned today and then share how God worked in your life with a friend.
Related Reading
Colossians 3:2; Matthew 14:31; Romans 8:28
Worship Resource
Bethel Music: Goodness of God
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