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Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.
In Christ, Mark
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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.
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
This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.
The run up to Christmas is one of the busiest (and most stressful) times of the year, especially if you have a young family you are raising. No one typically has the whole month of December off and so they are still working full time while trying to make sure everything gets done before the 25th arrives which can include:
Gifts being found and purchased, which sounds easier than it is especially when your children seem to give you a very focused and targeted list of things they desire.
Cards and/or gifts need to be sent to loved ones who live at a distance.
Decorations need to be put up to include the tree, a staple of the worldly Christmas observance.
All this compressed into around four weeks after the Thanksgiving holiday ends and it’s enough to induce anxiety, worry, and stress within even the most relaxed heart and soul. It also serves to remove energy and attention away from the excited period of anticipation of Jesus’ birth, the real and true reason for the season, a period known as Advent.
Well, it’s into this space that I offer you ultimate good news found in two simple verses from the Apostle Paul’s letter to the church in Philippi, two verses that can help combat the pressures and tensions of this time of year as well as into the new year to come and beyond, two verses that fit perfectly with the matter of peace which is the theme of this series of messages during the second week of Advent. Look again at verses six and seven of chapter four here:
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.
You’ll remember that in the first message in this series, we were reminded that the Lord God Almighty is peace. He is the starting point for everything we know whether physical or spiritual, seen or unseen. He is also absolutely sovereign over all creation and all created things. All mankind are subordinate to Him and under His ultimate authority.
With this, we need to take note that the first verse in this passage is a command from God. In other words, we aren’t given the liberty to pick and choose when we are anxious about things. God makes this clear when He says through His holy Word:
“Do not be anxious about anything...”
Do not means don’t do it.
Don’t be anxious about anything. Period.
Don’t be anxious about the gift shopping. Don’t be anxious about getting things out in the mail by a certain self imposed deadline. Don’t be anxious about getting all those decorations up.
Instead, seek a peace that seems to beyond comprehension when you consider all the world would have you believe needs to get done.
So, you may ask yourself today, “How in the world can I ever do that, Lord?”
As we read on in verse six, we find Him already providing an answer.
“...but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”
There you go. God isn’t putting the solution to eradicating anxiety, stress, worry, or even fear on His believers. Rather, He’s taking all the pressure off them and simply demanding that they place their trust in Him by bringing all their concerns, in every situation, to Him through prayer and petition with thanksgiving.
Friends, we serve a God who is so mighty and powerful that there’s nothing beyond the work of His hands. While we are facing challenges this holiday season or otherwise, He is standing by to handle them. All we need to do is surrender them to Him and then allow Him to do what He does best, work everything out for the good of those who love Him and have been called according to His purposes (Romans 8:28).
We have everything to gain by doing this and the Lord tells us as much in verse 7:
And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
The only way to a peace that’s beyond human comprehension is to remove every burden that we’re trying to shoulder and lay them down at the foot of God’s throne, fully believing in steadfast faith that He’s capable enough to handle them.
Brothers and sisters, if we would truly do this, we would experience a liberation and comfort that this world can’t provide, a divine protection and guarding of our hearts and minds through Christ Jesus, the Prince of Peace whose birth we ready ourselves for this advent season (Isaiah 9:6).
Let’s all step back from the hectic worldly distractions and find the kind of peace and solace that existed in the little town of Bethlehem as God sent a blessed peace and hope from Heaven to earth through His baby Son Jesus.
Amen.
In Christ,
Mark
PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.
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