The Verdict Is In: The Peace of God — Wednesday
Philippians 4:6
Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. (NIV)
Throughout my adult life, I’ve dealt with anxiety. Although there’s no proof, I believe the origins of my anxiety can be traced back to a specific item in my childhood. It was a “game” named Perfection. If you’ve never heard of it, picture a puzzle with 25 plastic pieces. To play the game, you set the timer, push start, and try to put all the puzzle pieces in the right spots before the timer runs out. If the timer does run out the game literally launches all the pieces at your face! I remember being given this anxiety-inducing torture device when I was 7 years old as a Christmas present, playing it once, and vowing never to play it again.
Playing that game has some incredible parallels to my life. I race to finish things as fast as possible with the constant stress that things won’t go right or I won’t be good enough. All the while, I’m waiting for things to blow up in my face.
The beauty of Easter is knowing that God is in control and He’s already finished the work. God is a good God and loves you so much that He was willing to sacrifice His one and only Son for you. And He did it simply because He couldn’t bear to be separated from you. That means no matter what you do, you can’t mess up His plan. If you’ve followed Jesus and claimed Him as your Lord and Savior, you have been given the gift of eternal life. So take a breath. He is in control and He’s already written the ending!
Does that mean your life will always be rainbows and butterflies? Of course not! But it means that no matter what comes your way, you can be confident in knowing how it ends. That means you can let go, loosen your grip on the wheel, and allow God to lead you where He wants you to go. And in the journey, you can spend your time worshiping the One who controls the universe instead of stressing how your decisions will mess it up.
Wednesday’s Reflection
Take some time today to simply worship. Put on some worship music on your commute home. Maybe something from Southland Music!