Oooooh... ooooh... ooooh.. don’t worry be happy now...
Now I’ve got you all singing with me! Amazing how the WORLD can sing these words but many times, we as Christians, who have HOPE in Jesus Christ, struggle to live without being consumed by worry. We all face things that bring a “weight” to our lives... but the Lord instructs us to lay our burdens in HIM. He’s got you! For REAL... He’s got you! You might just need to look in the mirror and say it out loud to your self!
Philippians 4:6-7 (NLT) reads,
4 Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice! 5 Let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do. Remember, the Lord is coming soon.
6 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. 7 Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.
Let's look at another translation...
Philippians 4: 4-7 (ESV)
4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.5 Let your reasonableness be known to everyone.The Lord is at hand;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.
God doesn't give us any wiggle room here does he? He says in verse 6 " to be anxious for nothing..." He didn't say it's ok to be anxious when... (You can fill in the blank with the issues you find most overwhelming right?). No, he said to be anxious in nothing. I believe we so often forget, that no matter how big we may view our situation or the issues we are facing, it's not bigger than our God! How often though, we stop with verse 6. We give our cares to God and say, OK, "God fix this". God's timing many times is not our timing and when God doesn't show up when we think he should we become discouraged and more frustrated with our problems. Verse 6 instructs us to give God our cares humbly through PRAYER but it doesn't end there. Verse 7 says..."and Gods peace will guard your heart and mind". God desires that we seek him in prayer and then we leave our cares at his feet. Your situation may not change immediately. But God does promise, that while he is working his will in your life, HIS PEACE will be greater than your problem! Don't minimize how big your God is! The enemy desires to consume your mind... to distract you... to defeat you. But God reassures us that we are victorious in HIM! In times of crisis, people are looking for hope, people are struggling to find consistency in the midst of change. As children of God, shouldn't we be the portraying what HOPE, PEACE and JOY look like in the midst of trouble? What if the voice of those that know God is in control, became louder than the voice of the world? REJOICE in the Lord ALWAYS, and AGAIN, I say REJOICE. Come on somebody, something just rises up in me and causes me to want to SHOUT just how good my God is! God doesn't ask us to dismiss the problems or concerns we have, he just instructs us to allow him to BE IN CONTROL! He is already in control of every situation we face, he needs us to allow HIM to be in control of US! He instructs us to pray about it all, tell him what we need and give him thanks for all he has already done for you!
Instead of worrying about your present, PRAISE BECAUSE OF HIS PROMISE!
God has promised he will never leave nor forsake you. That should be all the word you need. God, help us to be a steadfast reassurance that there is peace when you trust the One who is greater than any trial. Help us to be constant in you, in a world that is ever changing. Let the world see a real person living this real life with REAL JOY knowing our God is in control.
