“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your heart and mind in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7, NIV).
Have you ever woken in the night consumed by an anxious thought? Your mind races and heartbeat takes off like Louis Zamperini the 1936 Olympic Games.
Recently I awoke with a difficult situation on my mind. It was something over which I had absolutely no control, and yet I wanted so desperately to somehow fix it in the night. I seemed to believe if I thought hard enough, I could eventually think my way to the ideal resolution.
The more I thought about it though, the worse the outcome I imagined there to be and the more my heart raced. This in turn made me ache to fall asleep and forget everything.
I realized it was time to give my situation up to the Lord. Philippians 4:6-7 came to mind.
On this occasion “with thanksgiving” stood out to me, and instead of asking God to solve my problem, I started thanking God for everything He’s already done. Given me health. Kept healthy the ones I love. Sent his His son to die for me.
Although what I was struggling over was by no means small, my gratefulness reminded me that no matter what, I’m blessed abundantly by God. It changed my perspective from laser beam focused on my problem to a bigger, beautiful picture of what God has for my life. Filled with positive thoughts I eventually fell back to sleep.
This experience reminded me whenever we are dealing with something out of our control, we can find power in showing gratitude to God. Such thankfulness can give us perspective, peace and joy.
