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 4:6-7 NIV
Did you know that your heavenly Father loves you so much that it is His great desire for you to wake up every morning with peace, to enjoy deep settled peace all day long, no matter what is happening. Is this the description of your life?
If not (and for many of us, if not most), perhaps it’s because we have the wrong path to peace. We think peace comes from having all the bills paid, no sniffles or sickness of any kind, our popularity ratings are high, all relationships are without struggle, and any other need is absent from our lives. But God has never planned for or claimed that peace comes that way. He even outlines the path to peace for us. You’d think we would learn.
In her book Breaking Free, Bible teacher and author Beth Moore paraphrases the way we twist His plan outlined in Philippians 4:6-7: “Do not be calm about anything, but in everything, by dwelling on it constantly and feeling picked on by God, with thoughts like, ‘And this is the thanks I get,’ present your aggravations to everyone you know but Him. And the acid in your stomach, which transcends all milk products, will cause you an ulcer, and the doctor’s bills will cause you a heart attack, and you will lose your mind.”
While Beth makes me laugh, her diagnosis is dead on for most of us. No wonder we lack peace. We take matters into our own hands with our own preferred solutions in the driver’s seat. The jobs we take on are far above our paygrade and we are quickly overwhelmed. Gratitude is the farthest thing from our minds. But gratitude is the first step on the path to peace. Gratitude unfailingly knows the way.
So, you choose gratitude. It’s not always easy. It is hard gratitude. A sacrifice-of-praise gratitude. You turn your mind from anxiety and worry, and you pray. Not a begging, hopeless, “this can’t be happening to me” kind of praying. It is humble, trusting prayer with thanksgiving and gratitude that God is always with you. You trust Him to be faithful again, and you gratefully present your requests. And suddenly you realize you have arrived at peace. Every time. Gratitude knows the way.
- God, help me realize that I don’t need to find all the answers to find peace. I need to fix my focus on gratitude and I will find You and all I need. I am choosing that now for today