"Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus."
These two verses are from the book of Philippians, in the last chapter. I'm sure you have heard them or memorized them in hopes of having the tools to deal with the issues of your life, but today may I add a different lens to his picture?
Do you realize what Paul is saying in these verses? He's not giving us a way to make the things we worry about go away. He's giving us a different perspective, a different way of seeing the problems themselves.
What Paul is saying to the Philippians, and to us, is this- Don't forget that God is in charge of everything....even the things you are worrying about. Worry is a distraction from the big picture- God is sovereign over everything, even the things that worry you. You don't have to ask him to be in charge of them, he already is in charge of them and working it all out (see Rom. 8:28).
What Paul is inviting is a way to deal with worry, not to deal with the problem. The problem is part of God's plan, his purpose. Paul is giving us a way to see clearly and enjoy our problems with the peace of God fully ruling in our lives.
Imagine seeing someone in a storm on the lake sleeping in the boat. That is someone who has peace even as the storms pound.
Sleeping in the storms is a great picture of trust in God, of experiencing God's peace as the clouds darken. The storms still come, the problems still swirl, but to be at peace in the midst of it all...what a blessing.
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