Anxiety and Peace

Sometimes, my emotions get the best of me.

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 (Philippians 4:6-7).

That first line, “Be anxious for nothing”, sounds to me like a direction I’m supposed to take. It sounds like a choice I’m supposed to make.

The second part of the verse sounds that way too. Pray, ask, request. Be thankful.

It’s a verse I love. It’s a go-to for me. When I’m anxious, worried, fretting, caught up in knots, consumed by problems, this is my verse. The keys are all in it.

Recognize the anxiety and what’s got me all worked up, even if it’s just a general feeling with no real concrete cause. Give it to God, ask for what I want, pour out my heart. Thank Him. Thank Him in the midst of my suffering. Thank Him that He uses all things for His glory and for my good.

Philippians 4:6-7
Philippians 4:6-7

And then there’s part three of these verses. The peace of God will guard my heart and mind through Jesus.

That’s a promise. That’s not a choice I make. That’s Gods job.

Here’s the kicker. Sometimes, no matter how much I renounce my anxious thoughts, no matter how much I pray, no matter how thankful I am, anxiety still gets to me. I still feel it.

But God promises peace. So I wonder, is it possible to feel anxiety, yet have peace?

God never changes. We do; He doesn’t. We have emotions that betray us, but He is our rock.

So yes, I believe we can feel anxious, yet live in peace.

We know that we suffer in this world. And we know that there is joy in the midst of suffering.

There is peace in the midst of the storm.

My feelings get the best of me sometimes. But that doesn’t negate the peace of God. It’s there. He’s there.

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