“Do not be anxious or worried about anything, but in everything [every circumstance and situation] by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, continue to make your [specific] requests known to God. And the peace of God [that peace which reassures the heart, that peace] which transcends all understanding, [that peace which] stands guard over your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus [is yours].
Finally, believers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable and worthy of respect, whatever is right and confirmed by God’s word, whatever is pure and wholesome, whatever is lovely and brings peace, whatever is admirable and of good repute; if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think continually on these things [center your mind on them, and implant them in your heart].” (Philippians 4:6-8 AMP)
REFLECTION
Do you ever feel anxious? If yes, what do you do when you’re in that state?
There are many ways to (temporarily) calm down physically, be it via medication, physical therapy, deep breathing and so on, which can be helpful within a healthy, holistic approach —however — we are tripart beings (spirit-soul-body) and I’ve found that only when the root reason(s) for the anxiety is / are treated, can true inner peace be experienced. And this is only possible in the unseen spiritual realm, where we can deeply connect with The Prince of Peace, Jesus Christ. What does this look like? For me, it involves honest private prayer; pondering and proclaiming the living and active Word of God; intentional worship and thanksgiving; and being proactive in the body of Christ, where fears and issues can be prayerfully dealt with, with other committed Christians. The antidote to anxiety cannot be found in isolation. So let’s stay close to our ever loving Lord and trust Him to help us fully cooperate with Him in the ongoing sanctification and transformation process (that every single believer is in), while we make our way to our heavenly home.
PRAYER POEM
LORD, You are perfect in every way, so come what may, help me stay close to You, irrespective of how I feel or what I go through. For You, Your ways and Your words are forever true.
