Trading Anxiety for Peace

If we’re honest, anxiety has a way of creeping into all of our lives.

Sometimes it comes through unexpected sickness.

Sometimes it’s disappointment after disappointment.

Sometimes it’s waiting on an answer we’ve prayed for over and over again.

Sometimes it’s simply not understanding what God is doing.

I’ve experienced all of those things recently.

Life has certainly been “life-ing.”

There have been moments when my health has been challenged. There have been opportunities at work that I sincerely hoped would work out, only to receive an answer I wasn’t expecting. There have been days when my heart has still grieved the loss of my precious mama, even though I know she is home with Jesus.

If I’m not careful, my mind can begin asking questions that God never intended for me to carry.

“Why didn’t this happen?”

“Why not now?”

“Lord, what are You doing?”

Maybe you’ve asked those same questions.

Then, one day, during one of the deepest seasons of grief after my mom made her journey to Heaven, the Lord spoke something to my spirit that I have carried with me ever since.

It wasn’t audible, but it was unmistakable.

“I am completely and constantly in control.”

Those words changed something inside of me.

Notice what God didn’t say.

He didn’t promise that I would always understand.

He didn’t promise that life would always be easy.

He didn’t promise that every door I wanted opened would open.

Instead, He reminded me of something far greater.

He is in control. Always.

Friend, what peace there is in knowing that the God who created the universe has never once been surprised by anything that has happened in your life.

Not your disappointments.

Not your diagnosis.

Not your unanswered prayers.

Not your waiting.

Not your future.

Nothing.

That realization brought me to one of the most familiar passages in Scripture with brand new eyes.

“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

Did you notice what Paul says?

He doesn’t tell us to pretend we don’t have concerns.

He doesn’t tell us to ignore our emotions.

He tells us exactly what to do with them.

Pray about everything.

Everything.

Not just the big things.

Not just the emergencies.

Everything.

God never intended for us to carry burdens He already promised to carry Himself.

I’ve also realized something else.

Many of us pray because we want God to change our circumstances.

But what if His greater desire is to change us?

What if He’s teaching us to trust Him even when the answer is “not yet”…

or even “no”?

That’s where Proverbs 3:5-6 becomes more than just a memory verse.

It becomes a way of life.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.”

My own understanding tells me to worry.

My own understanding tells me to figure everything out.

My own understanding wants control.

But faith reminds me that I was never meant to be in control.

God is.

The battle between our flesh and our spirit is very real.

Our flesh wants certainty.

Our spirit learns trust.

Our flesh wants immediate answers.

Our spirit learns patience.

Our flesh wants our own plans.

Our spirit learns to surrender to God’s perfect plan.

I’ve come to realize that peace doesn’t come from getting everything I’ve prayed for.

Peace comes from trusting the One I’ve prayed to.

When I finally surrender my expectations and place them into God’s hands, something incredible happens.

The circumstances may not change overnight…

But my heart begins to.

The peace that Philippians talks about isn’t dependent on everything going our way.

A Truth Worth Remembering

Peace isn’t the absence of uncertainty.
Peace is the presence of God in the middle of it.

When we finally stop chasing certainty and start resting in God’s sovereignty, our perspective begins to change. We may still have questions. We may still experience heartache. We may still walk through seasons we never would have chosen. But we no longer walk through them alone.

It’s dependent on knowing the One who holds every tomorrow.

So today, whatever is weighing on your heart…

Pray about it.

Whatever is keeping you awake at night…

Pray about it.

Whatever disappointment you’re carrying…

Pray about it.

Whatever dream feels delayed…

Pray about it.

Whatever fear keeps whispering in your ear…

Pray about it.

Then leave it there.

Not because it’s easy.

But because God is faithful.

He has always been faithful.

And He always will be.

🌿 This Week’s Challenge

Take five minutes each morning this week before your day begins.

Instead of immediately thinking about everything you need to do, pause and ask yourself:

“What am I carrying today that God never asked me to carry?”

Then give it to Him in prayer.

One prayer.

One burden.

One day at a time.

I have a feeling you’ll discover what I’ve been learning all along…

The peace of God isn’t found in having all the answers.

It’s found in trusting the One who does.

God bless and keep you!

Always,

Jen