When we are in a season of change, we are faced with the reality that we are not as much in control as we’d like to think we are. Scary? Yeah, I know. But rather than shake our fists in frustration because we don’t know what is ahead , we can hold onto our anchor Jesus Christ who is the beginning and the end. That is, He is eternal; He knows the past, present and future, sovereign over it all. And because He is all-knowing AND He loves you with a depth, completeness and permanence that we can’t even fathom (see Romans 8:39 and Ephesians 1) we can rely on Him to be that anchor.
(I wrote a whole devotional series on Jesus as our anchor in the storms of life HERE, so I won’t be redundant and get into detail about that in today’s devotional.)
Ok, clinging to Christ as our anchor in the uncharted territories of life is a great reminder, but how exactly do we cling to Him? Philippians 4:6-7 is one of many verses that answers this question for us:
“Do not be anxious about anything, 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 your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6-7)
First, do not be anxious — remember our previous day’s devotional about how to not be anxious? Preach The Gospel to yourself and fixate your thoughts on Jesus instead of obsessing over what sends you into a spiraling tornado of anxiety. Then the next part of Philippians 4:6 says “BUT”… here comes another way to counter anxiety and cling to Christ… “in everything” (in every situation) “by prayer and supplication” (pray and communicate your needs and submit them to God’s will) “with thanksgiving” (remembering all God has done with gratitude) make your requests to God. And here is the amazing part because here is God’s promise: “And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus”. Having a hard time with that? Scripture has an answer for that too:
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight.” (Proverbs 3:5-6)
Do not rely on your own understanding to grasp how the peace of God will ease your heart and mind by prayer and supplication; trust in the Lord and submit your prayers and supplications to Him and He will make your paths straight… even the crazy spiraling paths of our negative thinking.
Questions to Ask Yourself:
- What have you done that has or hasn’t worked in helping to control anxiety or worrying? How will you approach it now?
- How do you think deepening your understanding of why Jesus is our reliable, unchanging, immovable anchor will help you in seasons of change?
Prayer Prompt:
Pray about what is on your heart today.