God's Got Your Back

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

Our middle daughter is terrified of needles.  At age 6, she hid from a pediatric nurse in an exam room storage cabinet after hearing she needed vaccination shots.  Later, at age 8, it took three adults to hold her down on the gurney so her pointer finger could be numbed and stitched back together after her older brother ice skated over it.  She didn’t mind the stitches, but the needle sent her through the roof.

Take some time to notice the anxiety of people around you  Here are a few snap shots of the anxiety I witnessed this week.  At the park, a young mom was panicking because her toddler lost his special toy and had wandered off to search for it.  A school aged girl was anxious because her face is dotted with pimples.   A teenage girl scrambles around before a date… does this look OK? No? Why not?  I saw several impatient drivers beeping horns, passing on the shoulder, and driving illegally through a meadow to enter a frontage road because of the motorcycle accident up ahead.  A waiter dropped an entire tray of glasses because he was anxious that his customers were anxious because the food was taking too long to come out of the kitchen.  

Where and when have you seen anxious people this past week?  How did their anxiety make you feel?

It’s amazing that God’s word says, “Do NOT be anxious.”  He knew we would be anyways, so He gave us the formula to fight against anxiety in Phil. 4:6-7.  Let’s give it a try. 

• Think of a situation or place that makes you anxious.

• Pray – God, I give you ______________________.  

• Ask - I ask you to ___________________________.

• Give Thanks – God, thank you for _________________________________________.

• Trust in God’s Peace– God, take my anxious thoughts and replace them with your PEACE.  Guard my heart and mind with your peace.  You alone can answer my prayers with peace.  Pour out your awesome peace.

When you see that others are anxious, stop and pray for them too.  You might be the peace God is sending to listen, calm, care, or love.  Pass on the peace you have received from God and see peace replace anxiety around you.

The Power of Giving God Thanks Will Ignite Your Faith and Change Your World!

Thank You for Being a part of the 3 O’Clock Wake Up Movement