Philippians 4:6-7 "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 your minds in Christ Jesus."
These were the verses I repeated to myself over and over again while we were preparing our daughter for the surgery that she didn't end up needing (refer to last week's verse for an update on her). I knew that there was nothing that I could do - it was completely in God's hands. I had to trust that our surgeon and his team would do their best and that The Master Surgeon (God) would care for and repair my baby girl. Was that easy to do? Absolutely not!
When we're reading these verse, I think it's super-important to distinguish what Paul means by "anxious". You see, worry and anxiety are very different than concern and excitement. Being concerned about something and making plans to address those concerns (like retirement, saving for a new car, etc.) is not the same as anxiety. Anxiety and worry occur when our concerns become all-consuming and debilitating. It puts the focus on me instead of on God, and it oftentimes robs us of the joy of life's experiences (like when I'm so worried about how I look or how my house looks that I'm robbed of the joy and the rest of the fellowship of the friends who have come to see me).
So how do we stop worrying? Paul's prescription is this: be thankful, pray, and let God replace the worry with peace! We can be confident that God will always provide what is best for us (not necessarily what WE think is best for us, but what HE knows is best for us... remember, we can't always see the big picture!). I'm so thankful that He is in control!
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