Peace in the Middle of the Unknown
It had been about a month since I had my firstborn baby girl, and I was just leaving the doctor’s office when I noticed a very pregnant woman in the waiting room sobbing quietly. Immediately crushed by the sight, I realized I knew her.
Sitting by her side, I softly said hello and asked her what was going on.
Surprised to see someone she knew, she started telling me the crazy day she had – she had spent most of the day going from building to building as her medical team worked to get a clear result on her medical tests. In the meantime, her children were at home with her husband, who had recently been let go. The chaos of the day triggered a spiral of emotions she had about delivering her baby while trusting that God would provide for her family.
After praying with her and offering her encouragement, I would not have guessed that I would be carried into a similar season where I would need to take God at His Word.
Since becoming a mother, not only have I experienced some of the greatest joys of my life, but it seems like a door has opened to a whole new set of anxieties and fears to dwell on.
Following our parental leaves, my husband and I transitioned back into our full-time jobs, trusting that as we go, God would guide us in adjusting our lives to parenthood. Just when I started to get used to being a working mom, I was laid off of my job— with all our benefits going with it. While processing this “reassignment” God had given me, my husband was also let go three months later. In the aftermath, I was left worn out, fearful, and truly devastated. What was God up to?
During one of the most difficult seasons of our lives, the Lord drew me back to a passage that He has led me to over and over again - but this time, it changed my entire prayer life:
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 hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7
At first glance, I felt really frustrated by the verses laid out before me. I felt stuck deep in a pit of anxiety with my life falling apart around me, yet Paul was exhorting me to be anxious about nothing?
Maybe you are like me and feel crushed by the world before you even step out the door. Some of you may be going through a deep financial crisis, job instability, or overwhelm due to your daily responsibilities. You may have just received bad news that has left you grieving a loss, processing an unknown future, or coping with a debilitating health issue for yourself or a loved one.
In light of all that we experience in a fallen world that does not seem to let up - believing that there is a way to live a life not ruled by anxiety can feel impossible.
But what if I told you that we could take this passage at His Word? What if I told you, from personal experience and through Paul’s example laid out for us, God has made a way for us to lay our anxieties at His feet and experience true peace?
More than any other season, I have desperately needed peace. As a typical type-A oldest child, I have experienced great disappointment that life has not been going the way I planned. In the past, my default in similar seasons was to strive to control the outcomes of my life, which has left my soul even more desperate for peace. I know that in this current situation before me, this has not been an option.
So I spent this summer unravelling this passage.
For context, Paul wrote this letter to the Philippians in prison with Timothy. Although he was in a difficult situation, he was more concerned about what the Philippian church was going through in his absence. Not only did he exhort the Philippians to rejoice always, but he encouraged them to realize that where God had placed him only served to advance the Gospel. Paul’s friends had anxiety, and he wanted to help them fight it.
How does Paul have this joy and peace in the face of an anxiety-inducing circumstance? Furthermore, how can we imitate Paul’s faith in the circumstances we are currently facing?
From the first part of this passage, we can initially glean that in order to not be anxious about anything, we are to offer our prayers, petitions, and requests to God. This means we can come to Him anytime, anywhere, with anything that is currently on our hearts to share with Him.
Second, Paul encourages us to bring our anxieties to God in thankfulness of who He is - a good, caring Father who listens to us and is faithfully using every part of our circumstances to complete His good work in us. (Philippians 1:3-6)
My question to you is - do you have true confidence in God enough to lay down all sense of control over your life at His feet? When you pray, do you believe that He truly cares and He’s listening?
When I made the conscious decision to surrender all my anxieties continually to Jesus and chose instead to dwell upon what I was currently grateful for, I had no room in my heart for anxiety. I learned that we can be confident that He has got us, He is for us, and He will carry us through whatever we are facing.
In the last part of this passage, we see something miraculous take place: God’s peace taking place in a thankful heart that continually surrenders its anxieties, worries, and grief before God. This peace is profound - flooding the human heart with a force that guards our hearts and minds as we dwell in Jesus. This peace makes no earthly sense - independent from our circumstances, solutions, abilities, or control. It is a peace that is only founded upon Jesus and his infinite sovereignty over our lives.
As I write this blog, my story doesn’t end here. My husband and I are still in the thick of it, still wading in the unknown of future provision, continually surrendering whatever daily events may arise that trigger our anxiety.
We are not perfect in this and often pick up these same anxieties almost as quickly as we drop them - but by God’s grace, the Holy Spirit uses these moments to reveal our gaps of trust in Him that need to be reconciled with the Lord. And as promised, He comes through every time with a peace that guards us in the middle of the storm as we continue to keep our eyes fixed on Him.
My prayer for you is that you will join us in taking Jesus at His Word - that you will have an unwavering confidence in a God who delivers, who finishes every good work, who won’t leave us or forsake us, who strengthens our faith in the unknown, who we will one day meet in glory and who fills us with His peace in the meantime.
He alone is worthy of our devotion. Surely, we can give Him our everything in prayer.
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