Ready:
“Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” – Philippians 4:6-7
Set:
Consider the differences between an NFL stadium and a recreational football field for youth football. The list of differences between them could go on indefinitely but the reason for the differences comes back to the level of competition and ability. The NFL stadium is suited for the professional athlete; the youth football field is for the newest rookie.
In our Scripture, Paul gives us the godly permission to not worry about anything. What a relief! The permission for peace. I once heard a commentator say that worry is an intrusion into an arena that belongs to God alone. If we go back to our NFL and youth football stadiums: imagine how a youth football player would feel if he or she tried to play with an NFL team. Immediate fear, right? that is what happens when we begin to worry: we’re making an intrusion into God’s arena. “What if I trip on the field and lose next week’s game for the whole team? What if someone I love dies? What if?” This kind of worry happens when we try to be God. Of course, we feel fearful in worry when one minute we’re on the youth football field playing and the next minute we’ve put ourselves into the NFL stadium in the middle of a game we have no business playing in.
Through prayer (communicating with God) and petition (asking God to act) with thanksgiving, we can overcome worry. When you choose to be thankful for even the hard things, it completely changes your brain’s reaction to the thing. Prayer and thankfulness are the prescription for anxiety. So, when we obey the command to not worry but to pray and be thankful, the peace of God stands guard at our hearts and minds, ready to protect. And the peace does this by the authority of Jesus Christ. We are in good hands when we place our worries in the hands of God.
We will struggle with worry in our lives, but when you feel anxious and like the worry is closing in on you, just look around. Where are you standing? Is it the NFL stadium or the youth football field? There’s a reason why we’re called “children of God” and not “adults of God.” We will never outgrow our dependence on God as our Father. If you find yourself in the arena of God, release all your worries to Him and come back to the proper place. There is joy in being a child of God.
Go:
What does your relationship with worry look like?
What does your relationship with prayer look like?
Workout:
Overtime:
"Heavenly Father, please forgive me for intruding into Your arena and trying to figure things out for myself instead of fully trusting You. Help me keep things in their proper place. In Jesus’ name, amen.”