Be anxious for nothing


Carlton Alfred Smith, "Recalling the Past"
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Be anxious for nothing — to be anxious is going against God's Word, therefore we must try very hard to avoid this state of mind. It isn't easy, believe me, it requires a lot of work and prayers at times — I know, some days can a real struggle, but . . . whilst Paul tells us to not worry, he doesn't just leave us hanging, he goes on to say . . . . Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things. The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you. (Philippians 4:6-9)

The fact is, as long as we live in this sad broken world, trails, pains and suffering will happen, it is unavoidable. Whilst our expereinces will differ from each other in both detail and degrees we all need to remember to keep our focus on the pure and lovely, the good, the true (which can be hard in this nasty world) but simply by changing our focus, we can replace our anxiety and stresses with peace — a peace that surpasses all comprehension (wow, isn't that amazing) — "the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:7)

No one says it is easy, it isn't and we are all works in progress. But we need to constantly remind ourselves that:

* God supplies all our needs (Ps 139:3)
* His grace is sufficient for all situations (2 Corinthians 12:9)
* He cares about us endlessly (1 Peter 5:7)
* All power belongs to Him (Ps 62:11)
* He is making us more and more like Christ through our trails (Rom 8:29, Phil. 1:6)
* No detail escape Him — He knows what is going on, nothing is hidden (Ps 147:5).

What a relief that He knows all about our anxieties, every detail — we just need to be willing to hand them over to Him to take control. Once done, we need to replace our anxieties with thankfulness, knowing that God has it all under control, His control and from this we will find inner calm and tranquility. 

As John Macarthur says in his book "Found: God's Peace", "The real challenge of Christian living is not to eliminate every uncomfortable circumstance from our lives, but to trust our sovereign, wise, good and powerful God in the midst of every situation. Things that might trouble us, such as the way we look, the way others treat us, or where we live or work, can actually be a source of strength, not weakness". 

We live in an imperfect world, we can't avoid this — we are surrounded by things that can and will cause anxiety. We need to allow God to do His perfect work in us —In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world. (John 16:33)




During World War II, an armed German freighter picked up a missionary whose ship had been torpedoed. He was put in the hold. For a while he was too terrified to even close his eyes. Sensing the need to adjust his perspective, he told of how how he got through the night: "I began communing with the Lord. He reminded me of His word in the 121st Psalm: 'My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth. He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth thee will not slumber. Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep. . . . .So I said, "Lord there isn't really any use for both of us to stay awake tonight. If You are going to keep watch, I'll thank Thee for some sleep!" He replaced his hear and anxiety with thankful prayer, and the peace of God that resulted enable him to sleep soundly.     (from "Found: God's Peace" by John Macarthur)


Comments

  1. You're sharing some of my favourites passages and words that comfort, lift up, and help me to keep my eyes on Jesus. Thank you for a lovely reminder.

    Wishing you a beautiful day...
    Brenda

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    1. :) they are also some of my favourite verses too :) Thankyou.

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  2. Thank you for another inspiring and comforting post, dearest Jo, that's just what I needed today !

    Have a wonderful remainder of your week, sending much love to you.
    with gratitude
    Daniela

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    1. So glad you enjoyed this one - they are also favourite versus of mine. My week has been good, but I have a cold today that isn't making me feel to great so I might have a lie down and rest.

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  3. Working hard on some anxiety, your post was timely. Knowing that for Him the end is as the beginning, nothing takes Him by surprise, and that He uses all to make us more like Him - must just focus on Him...

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    1. His peace is perfect, we just need to grasp it with both hands as quickly as we can :)

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  4. This is such a journey. Peace sometimes seems so elusive.... And then we experience the joy of peace and feel the Lord's presence very near us... and then something happens and we have to start from scratch all over again, learn to give Him burden and worry time and again! It's a constant DOING and GIVING for me. I have to go to Him daily, sometimes even hourly! And He never berates us or makes us feel silly for taking our anxieties back into our frail hands after having given them to Him. He just tenderly loves us and lifts us over and over again. It's definitely a constant thing for me - I am so weak, but I am thankful that He is so strong!

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    1. I think its constant for me too (perhaps for most of us to be honest) - and isn't it wonderful to have such a friend that is so ready for each of us :))

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  5. Thank you for following the Lord's leading through you blog which came at the perfect time for me; in His time.

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    1. Thankyou :) Its funny how things pop up just when you need it - God does work in mysterious ways :)

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