Peace Through Struggles
Today’s Bible Verses:
Philippians 4:6-7 ESV
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..
At times, life can be overwhelming. For me, that was Wednesday. The fatigue that comes with chemotherapy and radiation treatment sometimes makes doing anything, even standing, hard to accomplish. I sat at home in a chair on Wednesday, feeling my stomach rumble. To get up to “race” to the bathroom, I needed a strength I hadn’t experienced in a long time. Thankfully, it came.
Honestly, I'm not the only one dealing with challenges. We face worries about our health, finances, relationships, and the state of the world. It's easy to get caught up in a cycle of anxiety and fear. But Saint Paul's words offer a powerful antidote. He reminds us that we don't have to carry our burdens alone.
We can bring everything to God in prayer—not just the big things but the everyday concerns that weigh on our hearts. And when we pray, we should do so with thanksgiving, remembering all the ways God has been faithful in the past.
When we turn to God in prayer, something remarkable happens. We experience a peace that surpasses human understanding. It settles our anxious hearts and calms our troubled minds. It comes from knowing that God is in control and cares deeply for us.
This peace doesn't mean our problems will magically disappear. But it does mean we can face them with a sense of calm and confidence. We can trust that God will give us the strength and wisdom to navigate challenges.
We believe God's grace is freely given to us through faith in Jesus Christ. We don't have to earn God's peace or favor. It's a gift that's offered to us in abundance.
So today, let's take Paul's words to heart. Let's cast all our anxieties on God, trusting He will care for us. And let's receive the peace of God that surpasses all understanding, knowing that it will guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
Prayers
Remember:
All people dealing with cancer
Those who reject Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.
A Prayer for Today:
Lord God, thank You for the promise of Your peace. Help me to bring all my anxieties and concerns to You in prayer. In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen.
Luther’s Morning Prayer:
I thank You, my heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, Your dear Son, that You have kept me this night from all harm and danger; and I pray that You would keep me this day also from sin and every evil, that all my doings and life may please You. For into Your hands, I commend myself, my body and soul, and all things. Let Your holy angel be with me, that the evil foe may have no power over me. Amen.
Apostles’ Creed:
I believe in God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth.
And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried. He descended into hell. The third day He rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty. From thence He will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Christian Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.
The Lord’s Prayer:
Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven; give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever. Amen.
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