Worries, begone!

Well hello there sisters!

I just wanted to share this verse with you now that exam time has a) come, b) is yet to come, or c) has already passed. It's currently one of the verses pasted up on my wall and I've been coming back to it again and again!

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.

-Philippians 4:6-8

Let's dissect this passage a little bit:

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation..."

Now this is the part that I used to have a lot of trouble with. I believe in a God who is all-powerful, all-knowing, and all-capable of doing whatever he so pleases, but I used to have a hard time believing that the little things in my day that worry me are big enough for God to deal with. If I had a lot of homework, then that was my work-load, not God's. If I had a big paper due the next day and I had procrastinated all week, then that was my fault and not God's. If I only had 2 minutes to run to the bus stop, then I'm the one who's not in good enough shape, not God. And so I kept thinking these things to myself, believing the lie that God doesn't care about the little things in my life. But this verse tells us to not be anxious about anything. Anything. Big or small. Every situation. There is nothing too big (or too small) to give up to God!

"...by prayer and petition..."

When I think of a petition, I think about that formal document that people sign in hopes that the sheer numbers of people who support it will cause the change that they are asking for. And I think that this is exactly what God is asking us to do in these situations! Prayer is both a personal and communal action that God will use to bless us so pray on your own when something makes you anxious, but sharing this prayer request with others in your church/small group/Christian community is also an avenue that God has provided for us to take advantage of!

"...with thanksgiving..."

I once heard a pastor say: "a prayer is not a rant". And I 100% agree with him! While we may have a list of things that are going badly in our lives and a bunch of worries that are bogging us down, we also have so many things to thank Him for. Thank him for the opportunity to pursue higher education. Thank him for providing the books that you're studying. Thank him for getting you this far, and for how far he's going to get you. Thank him for even letting us talk to him through prayer.

"...present your requests to God."

God knows what you want, and he knows what you need, and he still wants you to tell him! In light of the upcoming election where as good citizens it is our duty to vote, think of every prayer as a ballot. And every time you present a request to God, he is keeping track of the things that you think are important in your life and he always takes this into account when choosing his blessings for you!

And let's just end with this:

And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

:)