This morning I was listening to Pastor
Jon Courson on
K-WAVE radio. I always enjoy his sermons, but I got sidetracked when he
referred to Philippians 4:6-7.
6 Be anxious for nothing, but in
everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be
made known to God; 7 and
the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and
minds through Christ Jesus.
I kind of stopped listening and went to
this scripture in the bible. I love this scripture, and turn to it often, but
today I really wanted to reflect on it. I want to have this part of God’s word
in my mind, in my heart, and in my soul. You know, like to really and truly
believe it. So, I decided I would look at and underline all the words that
really spoke to me, words that really made the point. Guess what? Every single
word/phrase in these two scriptures fit the bill. Take a look at what I mean.
Be anxious for nothing,
- This
is telling me, and you, that we are not to worry about any single thing. It
doesn’t matter how big or how small it is, we are not to worry or be anxious
about it.
but in everything by prayer and supplication
– This
tells us what we are to do when we feel anxious. We are to take all of our
supplications (requests, petitions) to God in prayer. We are to pray about all
things, again no matter how big or how small. Prayer works, but we often do
this as a last resort. We need to pray immediately when things are not going
right, or when we begin feeling anxious about something.
with thanksgiving – One
of the best ways to beat discouragement is to think about all of the ways that
God has blessed you. This part of scripture encourages us to think about these
things and be thankful as we pray.
let your requests be made known to God
– This
part of scripture lets us know that it is ok to speak to God about anything and
everything. God already knows our heart, but He wants us to speak to Him and
ask Him to hear our requests.
and the peace of God
– This
is referring to God’s peace, not our peace. Who’s peace would you rather have?
I find it hard, even impossible, to get peace on my own. I want God’s peace.
which surpasses all understanding
– This
tells us that God’s peace is so great that we can’t even begin to understand it. We have a peace during trials and tribulations that we would not normally have.
will guard your hearts and minds
through Christ Jesus. – God’s peace is so great that it will
guard our heart and mind. I don’t know about you, but when I am anxious my mind
does not stop. I think about every possible “what if.” My mind becomes so
overwhelmed and discouraged. This is usually about the time I remember I am
supposed to pray about it. Why does it take me so long to figure this out?
I hope that you can see why I think every
word in these two scriptures is so important to mediate on. This blog post is a
reflection of my understanding on what these two scriptures mean, but I
encourage you to delve deeper into them and definitely mediate on them. I am
working to learn and understand God’s word more and more each day as I hope
that you are too.
