"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, 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 your minds in Christ Jesus." - Philippians 4:6-7
This is the verse that I've been taking to work with me for the past few days. I'm been memorizing it (something that takes some time for me), contemplating it, meditating on it, and struggling over it to a certain extent.
Being anxious is something I do. This sounds like justification, but that is not my intent. I wish I was less anxious about everything: waiting for e-mails, bad drivers around me, decisions about the future, when I'll get to eat, whether my friends will stand by me, whether I will stand by myself, whether my relationship with God is growing, etc. I'm pretty much perpetually anxious...which from personal experience is not a good thing, and this passage confirms it.
But that's not what stands out to me most about this verse. For the most part, the anxiety thing seems to explain itself in this verse. Feeling anxious...bring it to God. Check! Good to know...hard to do, but good to know.
What stands out to me most is a part of the passage that seems to be out of place. Let's read it again:
"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, 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 your minds in Christ Jesus." - Philippians 4:6-7
Wait a second...with thanksgiving??? How does that fit? Where did that come from? Somebody tell me.
So here we go...I'm anxious, so I bring it to God. I'm struggling with something...and I'm supposed to be thankful. Good to know. Does this frustrate anybody else? It doesn't seem to fit, and that's annoying. But as I continued to think this one over, I realized better questions to ask: Why am I not thankful? Why is coming to God 'with thanksgiving' difficult for me?
I'm not sure. I don't know why that is difficult for me. Even when things are great I can find it difficult...correction, I simply seem to neglect it. I But the more I thought about it, the more another verse popped into my head.
"In your unfailing love you will lead the people you have redeemed. In your strength you will guide them to your holy dwelling." - Exodus 15:13
Let's break this one down for a second:
Your unfailling love
You will lead
Your strength
You will guide
Wow...now that's something to come to God "with thanksgiving" for...even when I'm anxious.
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