Prayers and Petitions

I can easily go down a rabbit hole of the things that can go wrong in nearly every situation. It doesn’t do me any good — and, in fact, it does me harm. So, I have been working on retraining my habitual response.

This has been a work in progress for at least 30 years.

That seems so ridiculous on one hand. Most of the things that I stress about have never come close to happening. It’s such a waste of my energy. But it seems to be a habit. And even if as I retrain my response, this seems to be my default reaction.

And, at this point in my life, I am recognizing that I don’t have as much energy and stamina as I previously had, so I really don’t want to squander it away!

I am thankful that God isn’t annoyed with me. He is patient and knows this is an area He is growing in me. He is in it for the long haul. This verse is such a beautiful invitation:

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. ⁷And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7 NIV

In everything….in all circumstances…

Let your requests be made known…talk to God about them…

God’s peace…even though it makes no sense on a human level…

The peace of God will guard your heart and mind in Christ Jesus…He protects you from your own overthinking…

There is so much going on in the world that I have no control over. That is easy to see. There is a lot in my little life circle that I don’t have control over either. My day can be filled with prayers and petitions to my Creator. That seems to be the very best place to start.

And those things I do have control over? I can still pray for wisdom in how to proceed. The answer to my questions is prayer.

That peace of God — that is what I am after.

And that is why this verse keeps coming to mind for me.

Do you have a Bible verse that comes to you regularly? I would love to see it!

Always adding…

I love new opportunities. But, with a packed schedule, if I add something, I need to say “good-bye” to something else.

This sounds like my wardrobe. And my book collection.

I cannot keep adding to what I do without allowing some space for it. So, I am going through a bit of a re-evaluation.

What are my priorities?

There are only so many hours in a day, in a week, in a month, and in a year.

And, it would be foolish for me not to include time and space for the unexpected. Sometimes those unplanned things are super amazing and sometimes they are super intense and draining. But, the truth is, we all have them. This year we started off with what was probably Flu A for two months.

Two months. Yikes! We had to just do the bare minimum to get by.

But we are finally healthy in that respect. In terms of business, I am always evaluating what is working and what is not. Or, even if something is “working” is it where I should spend my time? Maybe the things I added during a season were meant to be there for only a season. What gets to be a part of my “permanent collection” and what needs to be pared down.

Pruning doesn’t only mean you are trimming dead stuff. Pruning is also cutting off the living branches because they are growing in undesirable directions or they are crossing another branch or even rubbing on another branch. Trees and bushes burst forth with lots of possibility. We can shape and tame them. Proper pruning can encourage stronger, healthier growth and prevent future problems.

We can also shape and tame our schedule. And, similarly, proper pruning of our schedules can encourage growth and strength and prevent future conflicts.

So, if you have been adding to and never subtracting from the demands you put on your life it might be time to think through that a bit. I typically don’t make rush decisions unless I am pressed. But I do trust that God will give me insight either through those around me or just “that feeling” that something needs tweaking in my schedule.

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7

Impending doom

That sounds so defeating, but it is that dread of the complications in life that seem to be just around the corner.

It is very possible that they are around the corner. But I try not to give them life or more power over me by saying that they are lurking or think of these situations as waiting to pounce on me.

Stuff happens. And my response to my circumstances makes all the difference in the world. I may not be able to change the situation but I can change my outlook.

We can’t clean up every situation and have it turn into something amazing. It just isn’t something we can do. Unfortunately, there are many painful losses that we experience in life. They can be devastating. And we can feel lost.

But, we can ask God to show us where He is and ask Him to let us know what He is doing in and through the situations. He is surely doing something even though we may not have the eyes to see it.

But, there are times we are so busy anticipating doom that we are not able to enjoy where we are at the moment. We dread that the other shoe is going to fall and ruin everything. I suppose it can be important to prepare, but we can also make ourselves crazy by trying to prevent anything terrible from happening. We lose sight of the life right before our eyes.

It is important to practice handing all of our cares and concerns to God. Whether you start the day by handing them off or end the day asking God to take the concerns and grant you His peace, I encourage you to do it.

He neither slumbers nor sleeps. Psalm 121:4

The things we cannot change

There are so many things that are done and cannot be undone.

Sometimes, it is heartbreaking to realize that. But it is reality.

A word that has been spoken.

A deed that has been done.

Of course, there are times we can change course and somehow “fix” it. And while that may be helpful and useful and healing, the original wholeness that was messed with won’t probably ever be whole again.

There is a wound. A scar.

The memory of what was done or left undone.

But, there is always God and what He can do.

We just need to recognize that the power rests with Him.

We cannot “man handle” someone else’s response. No “sweet talking” our way in or out of things.

Accepting a reality doesn’t mean we have to like it. But, acknowledging it is a step in the right direction.

Knowing that God goes before me and behind me and hems me in makes the difficult parts of life’s journey more acceptable. It isn’t always fun, but there is joy in the journey.

Lord, help me to trust You to redeem those hard things that cannot be changed. Give me wisdom to know when things are out of my control and trust that You will work out the details.

By Situation

Sometimes you might notice that a lot of people in your world are struggling with similar things. Or there is something big happening in the world.

Present those people to God by situation.

You probably already do this. I mentioned yesterday that sometimes we drive by an accident and we have no idea who is involved. But you can be sure God does.

And when you know of big things happening in your community, state. country, or our world it is easy to think we have so little to offer. But I would like to challenge that. Of course, prayer is the first place we should turn to. Interceding for situations — whether they are within our reach are not — should always be our first step of action.

Then, as we bring the circumstances before God, He may give you ideas about how you can go beyond the intercession and contribute tangibly to the solution. Sometimes we are encouraged to take the next step and make a donation of money/goods or we might decide to volunteer for a day, a season, or a year. It’s hard to say. There are so many ways for us to serve. I believe God puts things on our hearts and then He is happy to help us discern our next moves.

As I think about bigger situations, and my goodness, there are a lot of them happening now with war and wildfires and outbreaks and so much division on so many levels.

I pray for the leadership of the bigger situations, whether or not I agree with them. I pray for God to work through the circumstances so people can see His provision and recognize God for who He is and to become aware of their contribution to the problem.

I pray for those who are decision makers to be humble and to really take stock in what they are doing (or not doing) for the good of the people.

And, I pray that those with their hands in the situation will have a moment where they really see God has loved them all along and that He desires for them to know the Truth.

What situations are heavy on your heart right now? Go straight to God with them — even if you don’t know what to say. I often will pray for peace – even though I have no idea what it will take for the circumstance to reach peace. God knows. And I know He has been working on it. He sees the much bigger picture. He sees these situations through the eyes of generations. I get glimpses of that when I read the Bible and see how many years people were in captivity and how many years they wandered in the dessert. Some things take a long time to come to fruition.

We are in a world that is full of sin and selfishness. My own included. Taking time to intercede for bigger situations helps me remember that life isn’t all about me. There is a bigger world out there that needs our prayers!

We can be so hard on ourselves…

Have you ever noticed that sometimes you are harder on yourself than you are on others?

Well, maybe you are also hard on others and you maybe should check on that.

Those voices that are in your head? Sometimes they aren’t kind at all. But, first you need to notice that they are there.

And those thoughts that are not loving and kind are not from God.

Does God love every thing we do and say? No, but He does not condemn us. So take note of the tone of voice floating around in your mind. Ok, it might not be audible, but there is such a thing as self-talk.

Negative thoughts make their appearance and take root at a variety of points in our lives. At some point we need to work through them and dismantle them.

But, spending more time in God’s Word and surrounding yourself with Scripture is definitely an important first step. I didn’t come up with this phrase but I think it can be helpful — it is hard to stand on Scripture when you aren’t in it.

You know how satan’s schemes. He distracts us and we even distract ourselves. Will we ever get to the bottom of it all? Maybe. Maybe not. But spending time with God, offering intercessions for others, expressing gratitude, and memorizing encouragement from Scripture is never a waste.

Write out your thoughts and prayers. Offer them up.

And give yourself the grace you are so inclined to give others!

May God grant you His perfect peace!

Present

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 your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7 NIV

My request list is rather long these days. I cannot fix any of the situations around me. I can only offer them up to God. But the people I love are in heavy times and it hurts my heart.

And then I remember — I can lay all of these things at Jesus’ feet. And trust that God will give me His perfect peace. This life isn’t always easy. And sometimes if I focus too far into the future, I find myself in a little bit of a panic.

How will this all play out?

Today I present my requests and pray that God will guard my heart and mind in Christ Jesus.

It’s personal…

It might be easy to look at the events leading up to Jesus’ crucifixion and be shocked and disappointed about the betrayal by those who had a role in this agonizing and heartbreaking moment as it unfolded.

How could they?

How could God?

Jesus’ disciples, friends, and family had a front row seat. I can’t imagine watching it all. It’s easy to point an incredulous finger and have a look of disgust. But I have to remember that even though this took place before I drew my first breath, God’s plan was laid out…

…for me and my rebellion…

….for you and yours…

It’s personal.

God’s love came down and took our sins on as His own.

God provides all that we cannot: love, mercy, grace, forgiveness, and salvation.

The storms…

The storms will come. They might be literal ones like we saw last night ripping through Arkansas, Illinois, and Indiana. But there are always those times in life when things happen that rock us to our core; the figurative storms.

They will come. They do come. They are coming. And sometimes they seem to come one after another. I love this quote from a song by Scott Krippayne, Sometimes He calms the storm and other times He calms His child.

I don’t know what you have been through, what you are in the middle of, or what is coming down the pike for you. Life is not easy for anyone. But I take courage and hope that God is with me when the storms come. He holds me close, He provides peace, comfort, and, most importantly, rest for our hearts and souls. He is my shelter in the storm. And I pray you find He does that for you, too.

If you have anything specific you would like me to pray for, let me know!

Enjoy the song.

I can’t always be there

As much as I would love to be that person who can rush in and be present for every high and low, I cannot commit to that.

And I cannot expect others to be, either. There are times when we have to go it alone or accept the help from those that are right there at the moment of need. Our situations are no surprise to God. And He often places those people who can love and serve us directly in our space for reasons we cannot understand, except that He is God and He knows what He is doing.

He is always there.

Even when we have to “go it alone”, God is right there. And often leaning into Him is the way to make progress, even if that feels counterintuitive.

God with is – Immanuel. He guides and protects and sustains us. He gives us what we need. His grace is all sufficient. Accept His presence and His gifts.