What, Me Worry?

As I go through Paul's prescription for worry in Philippians 4:6-7, I see we are to thank God for His answers... What are His answers? Am I to be thankful for worries... for suffering... for tragedies? How can we be thankful for such circumstances?

Aha! No. It's not the circumstances He calls us to be thankful for...it's what He is/was doing in the midst of them. For those moments when God faithfully stands with us in the dark night of our pain, and turns what is meant for evil into a triumph and makes you more valuable for having gone through it.

When we are anxious for nothing and pray about everything, Paul writes that we "will experience God's peace, which exceeds anything we can understand". It's not an easy place to find. The anxiety and worry tend to come much easier than the peace....that is, until we recognize that it's an attitude, a decision of my will that chooses to see the miraculous at work, or at least trust that it is at work, even if it's unseen. I will "put my trust in Him, from whence cometh my help".

God desires to give us peace. In the midst of your storm, He speaks "peace, be still". He wants to fill your mind with truth, assurance, wisdom, encouragement, and hope. How? Stop listening to Satan's lies. Take captive each negative thought, and replace it instead with a scripture, a prayer of agreement with what God says about the matter. It doesn't matter if your actions caused your circumstances or if it was the act of another's free will causing the pain you've felt. The truth is, God wants to renew your mind, free you, heal you, and make you MORE than a conqueror. The first step is the hardest...agree with Him.