05-03-2023 Devotional
A lot has been written about ways to handle stress in our lives – stress within our families, our places of work, our neighborhoods, our country, and our world. There is no place that we can turn that is stress-free.
We know that how we manage stress impacts our daily lives and our relationships. We want to know and to trust that God loves us and wants what is best for us, but sometimes it’s hard to put our faith completely in God’s plan, especially when we can’t see the ending, and we don’t know our part.
In the absence of not knowing, we substitute our fears and anxiety, and anxiety has the potential of leading us down the path to fear, doubt, and despair. When we are anxious, our minds are monopolized with worry instead of consumed with God and what God has done and is able to do.
Stress and anxiety take our eyes off God. In the Greek, the word for “anxious” translates to “distracted”. Anxiety magnifies our problems and minimizes our view of God, preventing us from seeing God’s power in the midst of our circumstances.
Anxiety is complicated, though a step in combatting anxiety could be making a conscious choice to not be anxious. True, this is easier said than done. It requires us to face the circumstances and possible outcomes of life with confidence that God knows what God is doing. We can deeply trust that God has a plan, even if we cannot see the plan, nor understand the outcome.
On the evening of the day that Jesus was crucified, he came to the disciples, and he said, ‘peace be with you’.
As we pray, petition and thank God, we become more able to close the door on anxiety and open the door to peace. Peace allows us to focus on God rather than worry about the future. By choosing not to be anxious, we discover peace that is not dependent on controlled outcomes but comes from the God who controls all things.
Friends, God wants us to ask for what we desire while trusting that God ultimately knows best. When we trust God in this way, we can experience the peace that Jesus offers to us.
Prayer:
Lord, we ask not for a stress-free life but that you will teach us to rely on your guidance. Through your Spirit living in our hearts, give us wisdom, strength, and clarity of mind, to find our purpose and walk the path you've laid out for us. In Jesus' name we pray.
Blessings,
Pastor Denise
