Have you ever said that to someone?
It’s true, circumstances most often turn out for the best. But when you’re in the middle of a storm – emotional, financial, relational – that statement can suggest you don’t really understand how that person’s really doing, or you just don’t want to deal with it. Been there, said that, on both counts.
I’ve been really challenged by two verses in the Bible that carry this same message.
The first is Philippians chapter 4, verse 6: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”
When I heard this recently, my first reaction was “yeah, well that’s all very well in theory to simply decide not to be anxious…” Then last Sunday, one of the pastors at my church talked about Matthew 6:25: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear.” They’re confronting verses – not suggestions, but instructions on how to live life.
I’m feeling qualified to write about worry and stress because over the last three weeks my wife and I sold our house and simultaneously bought another one. Like any real estate story, we’ll be dining out on this experience for years to come. But let me just say as a journalist who spent two years working under the pressure of daily newspaper deadlines, this was a whole new level of stress – I endured four straight nights of near sleeplessness at one point.
So no surprises that I’ve been reading and re-reading the Philippians verse a bit lately.
The tough thing was that simply deciding not to be stressed was easier said than done.
However, I was encouraged that each passage above offered a promise. Philippians 4:7 says that if we pray, God turns that prayer into peace, and that peace will “guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” That’s God’s way of saying he’ll keep you sane.
Likewise in Matthew 6, it talks about how we shouldn’t worry about what we eat or drink or wear. The problem isn’t that it’s wrong to be mindful of such basics in life, but a question of focus. Verse 33 says: “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” So I’ve taken that to mean if God’s our focus, he’ll look after the details.
So in our belief that God wanted us to purchase a certain house, we prayed for all the specific details that would be needed to make it happen (such as minor details like getting a mortgage approved). And guess what, each prayer was answered and we are due to move on June 4. I reckon God’s interested in the details!
