A Quiet Word: Morning Bible Verses for a Grounded Start

worry is a conversation you have with yourself about things you cannot change it's a loop that can steal the quiet from your morning in our last time together we spoke about asking for wisdom when you feel lost today's reading gives us the very next step what to do when that feeling of being lost turns into anxiety the apostle paul wrote these words from a prison cell a place where anxiety would seem not just possible but logical and here is what he says from philippians chapter four verses six and seven do not be anxious about anything but in every situation by prayer and petition with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to god and the peace of god which transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and your minds in christ jesus

that first phrase can land a little hard do not be anxious about anything it can sound like a command to simply stop feeling something which we both know isn't how feelings work but this isn't a rebuke it's an invitation think of it less as a rule and more as a doorway god is not telling you that your anxiety is wrong he is telling you that there is another place to take it he is inviting you out of that lonely looping conversation with yourself and into a conversation with him the invitation isn't just to stop worrying it's to start something else it's to redirect that same energy and paul gives us a very practical three part

process for doing that he says by prayer and petition with thanksgiving let's just sit with that for a moment first prayer this is simply turning toward god it's opening the conversation it can be as simple as saying god i'm here and i'm worried second petition this is where you get specific you name the thing the medical test the difficult conversation you have to have today the financial strain the uncertainty about your child's future you let your requests be made known you are not informing god of something he doesn't already know you are entrusting it to him piece by piece you're taking it out of your own hands and placing it in his and then comes

the third part the one that changes everything with thanksgiving this is the pivot this is the part we so often forget before you even know the outcome before the prayer is answered you give thanks this isn't about pretending everything is fine it's about remembering that god is good you can thank him for his presence for his past faithfulness for the simple gift of your breath in this moment thanksgiving shifts your posture it moves you from a place of fear and lack to a place of trust and recognition of who god is regardless of your circumstances it says even here even in this i know you are with me and for that i am grateful and

notice the promise that follows the promise is not that you will immediately get everything you asked for the promise is better and the peace of god which transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and your minds this peace surpasses understanding that means it doesn't have to make sense to your logical mind the problem might still exist the uncertainty might still be there but you can experience a profound supernatural calm right in the middle of it and that peace will guard you it stands like a century at the door of your heart and your mind the two places anxiety loves to attack it keeps the chaos of the world from overwhelming the quiet of

your soul your heart where you feel your mind where you worry both are protected so as you move into your day that list of worries will try to get your attention it will whisper and sometimes it will shout you don't have to pretend it isn't there just remember the invitation take each worry one by one turn toward god in prayer name the specific petition and then find one thing to be thankful for peace is not the absence of trouble but the presence of god in the middle of it