6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. -Philippians 4:6-7
Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? -Matthew 6:26
You are loved. God cares for the birds and He cares for the lilies, but He loves us and values us even more. We all have worries and we all get anxious about our circumstances in life. Scripture tells us that God wants to bring every request to Him and talk to Him about our problems. In everyday life we see people being a squeaky wheel and they get the grease first. Many times we don’t bring our requests and problems to God until it is a last resort. We may feel like we are bothering God or why would He listen to little ole me. The scripture tells us to bring every request to Him daily. Talk to God and build the relationship with Him. Be a squeaky wheel.
Imagine never being anxious about anything. It seems like an impossibility. We all have worries on the job, in our homes, at school etc. But Paul’s advice is to turn our worries into prayers. Do you want to worry less? Then pray more. Whenever you start to worry, stop and pray.
God’s peace is different from the world’s peace. True peace is not found in positive thinking, in the absence of conflict, or good feelings. It comes from knowing that God is in control. Our citizenship in Christ’s kingdom is sure, our destiny is set, and we can have victory over sin and our everyday problems. Let God’s peace guard your heart against anxiety.
When we face a challenge and don’t know how it will turn out, we tend to fear the worst. But when we are confident that we are secure in our loving God’s hands, we are assured that He knows what is happening and will use all things for our good. So, Paul tells us that by continually presenting our requests to God in prayer and thanks, we will we experience His peace that transcends understanding. This peace guards our hearts and minds by wrapping everything around Christ Jesus.
So, if you are worrying about something, be a squeaky wheel and present your request to God in prayer. He wants us to talk to Him and take time to listen to His response. It may be an instant response, or it may take a lot of time, but keep asking God. He wants to hear from us. Be a squeaky wheel to God in genuine love.
A Prayer for Today:
God, whenever I experience worry, help me remember to present my requests to you and to give you thanks. Amen.