I don’t know about you, but I could use another week of resting in Him.  So, since this is my blog…  

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, and with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  (Philippians 4:6).

I can only do so much.

Like we talked about last week, a huge part of our anxiety comes from the need to control our situation.  When circumstances, or people, are not working in the ways we want, and we aren’t able to change them, we get stressed.  Paul is reminding us here that we are not in control—that we will never be in control—but that we have a lifeline to the one who is.  Rather than relying on our own ability to manipulate our situation, we are called to take the things that worry us directly to God.

Nothing too big.

Nothing too small.

But we need to do it with the right attitude, Beloved.  It’s not a list of demands.  It’s not a blueprint for our lives that we just need God to sign off on.  We are to come with thanksgiving, recognizing that he loves us, he wants the best for us, and he is more capable of knowing and doing what is best than we can ever think or imagine.

I’m gonna let you in on a secret, just between the two of us.   This verse has often annoyed me.

Yeah I know—just a touch of arrogance there.

When I focus on the first part—Do not be anxious about anything—I get frustrated.  It’s like someone telling me, “Don’t think about squirrels.”  All that does is plant the picture of those fluffy little rats firmly in my brain.  Telling me not to worry only makes me worry more, because now I feel guilty and ungodly for worrying in the first place.

Thanks a lot, Paul.

But I find that if I focus on the second half of the verse—in everything…present your requests to God—things work a little better.  I do my part by bringing my worries to him, but then I let him do his part and be God, which, frankly, he is ever so much better at than I am.

Though that’s tough to admit.

What worries are holding you down today, Beloved?  I won’t tell you not to worry.  I will tell you that you have a really big, strong God who is waiting to hear all about it.  Go to him.  Release your stress to him.  He can handle it.  And he’s got something to give you in return, but we’ll talk about that tomorrow.

Happy Monday, Beloved.