JULY 3 | Philippians 4:4-7

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DAILY READING

Philippians 4:4-7

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REFLECTION

Turn Your Worries Into Action

By Judy Webb

"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)

According to data released by Amazon a few years ago, Philippians 4:6-7 was the most highlighted passage in the Bible on a Kindle eBook. We underscore and/or highlight words that speak to us, convict us, or that offer comfort and direction. Our world is a mess but too often we take it too seriously. We put undue pressure on ourselves. If we could only learn to trust God, to lean on Him and not try to fix it all by ourselves. Prayer changes lives, Scripture teaches us to abide in Christ and He can change the world.

 Our prayers can help make the world we live in more habitable. If I did not have my faith, and my one hour of quiet each day, my life would be empty. If I sat and watched TV news or trolled around on the internet for hours, I would lose hope. There is too much bad news (real or otherwise) to keep focusing on it.

On his website, breakfastwithfred.com, Fred Smith points out: “When nothing can be done about something, dismiss it. If something can be done, do it.” Trust God—not worry—is the answer. Some think that turning to scripture for purpose and direction reveal weakness. I say that turning to scripture for purpose and direction is the only way we can live in this world and survive it.

There is a plan to obtain this peace.  

1.     Pray about everything

2.     Tell God what you need

3.     Thank Him for all He has done.

Present your requests to God and see what He can do.

PRAYER

Dear Lord, We need reminding when things go wrong, when we are worried or stumpted as to the next step to take. This reminder will be ours when we take it all to God, when we present our requests to God and ask Him to help. Amen.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

JUDY WEBB

I have been a member of UALC for 26 years and have been writing devotions for this site for about 17 of them. Writing is my passion. As retired staff I still love everything about UALC and its members including my small group.