Peace vs. Plan

Read

Philippians 4:6-7 (NIV) 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.

What it's speaking to me

I'm a fixer. Who isn't? Give me a problem and I want to solve it. So when a worry shows up, my first move isn't always prayer, it's strategy. I'll lie there at 1am running the numbers again, rearranging the same five facts, hoping if I just think hard enough, the knot in my stomach will finally loosen and sleep will come.

It doesn't work that way though.

Paul doesn't say God offers a peace that comes after you've got it figured out. He says it "transcends" understanding. Goes past it. Above it. Below it. Around it. That's a strange promise from a guy writing this letter while under arrest, with really knowing how his situation was going to resolve. He wasn't offering a solution. He didn't have one.He was promising a peace that shows up while the problem is still very much unsolved.

When worries arrive, don't look for the plan.

Look for His presence.

Find peace.

What is it saying to you?

Have you been waiting for your circumstances to change before you'll let yourself feel peace?What's the anxiety you keep trying to "figure out" instead of actually praying about?

What are we going to do about it?

Bring one specific anxiety to God today. Specific.Then ask for the peace that doesn't come with an explanation attached.