“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” -Philippians 4:6-7

This verse has a lot of weight for me, personally. There were many times in my life where confusion and anxiety possessed my soul. I was afraid to pray about my distress — after all, faith is about never being worried…right? I wish I had known then that despite never saying aloud how I felt, God could still see it. He was standing right there, waiting to give me peace. He couldn’t do that while I was hoarding my anxieties for myself. I had to confess all my fear, anger, confusion, pain, and anxiety first. Then, peace came.

It isn’t always easy to be thankful. When anxiety takes over, it’s hard to see God’s blessings. When your marriage is falling apart, when your heart is broken, when you don’t know if you’re going to wind up alone or not, it’s hard to focus on anything else. Relationships are popular obsessions. And obsessions bring anxiety with them.

Peace won’t come until you lay your anxieties at Jesus’ feet, and you rest in His amazing character. Jesus went through the torture of crucifixion for your soul – He intends to protect His investment. Thanksgiving comes when let go of what is going on around us and we instead focus on who God is and how He loves us. Every character in the Bible went through anxieties; their stories are testimonies to how great God really is.

Challenge: Keep an anxiety journal. Write down everything that is causing you anxiety, confusion, or pain. Pray over your list, then write how God answers you. Write down what you learn about His character. Keep this journal for at least a year. You will see God’s hand in your life in ways you never saw before. When you see Him move, your heart will be overcome with thanksgiving and that peace that surpasses all understanding.

Verses to Meditate On:
Numbers 23:19
God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should change his mind. Does He speak and then not act? Does He promise and not fulfill?

Proverbs 30:5
Every word of God is flawless; He is a shield to those who take refuge in Him.

Philippians 4:19
And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

1 John 4:10
In this is love, not that we have loved God but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

Psalms 54:4
Surely God is my help; the Lord is the One who sustains me.