January 15, 2008

by Sheila Walsh on 01/15/2008 01:01

LET GO AND LET GOD

Dear Friends,

Well, we are off and running for 2008! Christian is now back at school and the Christmas tree is finally put away for another year. Barry and I seriously considered leaving it up and just adding things seasonally- a rabbit for Easter, a turkey for Thanksgiving! I know that it's been a while since I've written a newsletter - sorry! I was exhausted at the end of our Women of Faith year and collapsed into a comfy chair in my jammies for about a month. We had a wonderful break as a family and feel refreshed and ready to begin another year.

I read this today:

Do not be anxious about anything but in everything, 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

What a promise! This is an all-inclusive verse. Do not worry about ANYTHING. Don't worry about the car payments, the house payments, the economy, your job or your health. Whatever is in your heart and mind, bring it to the Lord in prayer and in petition and do it with thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is such an important part of the process because it speaks to trust and confidence.

When we take our prayer requests to God and then continue to worry, it is as if we are saying, "Thanks so much for stopping to listen to me, but I'm not so sure you can help." In our soul we sense the dissonance in that line of thinking. We believe that God is able to do what He says He will do. Why then is it so difficult to rest in this promise that Paul brings before the church of Philippi? Don't be anxious about anything!

I think our need for control interferes with our trust in God. Joy and control do not make good roommates. I struggle with this daily. I've always found it hard to delegate. I figure if I do something myself then I know it will be done and done the way I think it should be. This spills over into my relationship with Christ. Doing makes me feel as if progress is being made. But that's not necessarily so.

I face a number of situations that lack closure. I see clearly that I have two choices. I can bring these to God and then spend the rest of the day trying to figure out how I can "make things happen". Or I can bring my requests before God's throne of grace with a prayer of thanksgiving and confidence in Him and wait in the Lord. The real difference is what happens in me after my initial prayer. If I make the first choice, I continue to worry and fret over the outcome. If I take the second route, the way by which Paul exhorts us to live, I come to an awesome promise. "The peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

What a gift. The Word of God could not be clearer here. If we will relinquish control of our lives and place our trust in God with absolute confidence, the peace of God, which is beyond human understanding, will cover us, protecting our hearts and minds. This is "true joy"! Joy that G.K. Chesterton called "the giant secret of the Christian."

I pray that as we walk into this New Year it will be with a fresh confidence in the love of our Father and trust in his care,

With love,

Sheila

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