Tuesday, March 24, 2020

Don't Worry

Philippians 4:6-7  Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.  And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

The Christian isn’t supposed to be full of care and worry. And no, that’s not easy for me to say.  Anytime you face some unknown situation, or a dangerous problem, you should be concerned enough to analyze the facts and take into consideration the possible outcomes and prepare for them. If you are not concerned for yourself or for others when situations arise that are life threatening, or life changing then there is something wrong. This passage isn't saying that we are to be stoics, apathetic and uncaring about everything in life. It would be sinful if we didn't care and had no concern about whether or not people go to Hell, or for the well being of our friends and family (cf. I Corinthians 12:25; Philippians 2:25).

The passage is dealing with is the state of continual anxiousness. There comes a point when we have done everything we can do within our power. You’ve prepared as best you can, you’ve taken all the precautions, and now, it’s in God’s hands. Now we must be trusting in the Lord. But what do we do with that anxiety? You read about the virus, and you get concerned and take the precautions, but now what?  The text tells us the care is in the heart and in the mind, otherwise a God given peace wouldn’t be necessary. If you were free from care, why would God need to give you peace? You need peace when you don’t have it, and if you are anxious, you don’t have peace.

What do you do with the anxiety? Take it to the Lord in prayer. The Christian should not live in a state of anxiety but rather take everything to God and pour your heart out to Him in prayer. Everything. Don’t hide from God. When the heart is full of care, PRAY. The text says “let your requests be made known unto God”. Tell Him. Make them known. But doesn’t God already know? Jesus said “your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him”. Why do we have to make known our requests, if God already knows? God wants us to pray to him. God uses our prayer as the instrument of fulfilling his will. And prayer is good for us. It’s the way God provides peace for the anxious soul trusting in Christ. The instruction was to pray unto God and let God know why have worry and anxiety.  Through Christ Jesus, he will give you peace. He will protect and keep your heart and mind. Christ will give you peace, because He cares for you. Come to Christ in prayer, praise him in thanksgiving, make your requests known, and trust him. Rest your soul, knowing your God will keep you.

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