Day 16 - Don't Be Anxious

By Pastor Tim Escamilla 

Philippians 4:6-7

6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Recently, we've been teaching our son Ethan about this. We've been showing him why we don't have to worry or be anxious about anything. We've reminded him about the words of Jesus, and not taking a thought for your life, and in that way worrying. 

Abby said it rightly last night: "When we worry, we prove we don't trust God."

Man, that hit me! She's absolutely right. Look at the verses above. Paul is saying something along the lines of what we saw a couple of days ago. He's not saying the peace of God will come when we receive what we've asked for. He's not saying we'll have thanksgiving in our hearts when God does what we asked. No, he's saying to offer up our requests in prayer WITH thanksgiving as we offer them!

The reason we don't have to be anxious, and the reason we can have thanksgiving as we ask these things is precisely because we trust Him! We trust Him to be our Prince of Peace in the middle of the storm. We trust Him to be our Provider even when it seems like we're in lack. We trust Him to be our Healer in the middle of our sickness! 

When we put our trust in Him, we're putting our trust in the One that will not be moved. When we trust Him, our trust is on THE firm foundation. It won't even shake. We all get reasons to be fearful or anxious; we all have reasons to worry. But we choose not to, because our faith and trust are in Him alone. 

So I pray that the song would be true for you and me today: Don't worry, be happy!