October 4

Philippians 4:1-23

Be anxious for nothing.

I took a walk by the lake after work today. There was a soft breeze and it’s been so hot lately, that 90 degrees felt more like 70 degrees.
My endeavor was two-fold: to burn calories and to burn off the frustrations that had been collecting over the past eight hours. I decided those 30 minutes would be dedicated to the care of life’s problems. I could “unpack” all my worries and attempt to fix them before my time ran out.
But as I breathed in the beauty of God’s imagination, I felt drawn to Him. The lake was luminous. It cradled the sun’s rays like a bed of jewels. I quickly became distracted by the realization of His presence.
His voice interrupted the chaos inside of my heart. His whispers fell like a blanket upon me. He wrapped me up and carried me to Himself. I had ceased from my “unpacking”. He had my full attention. His presence was all around me and all I could think or feel was, “God, you are so beautiful.”
It was simply the presence of God that set my heart at ease. I was no longer “fixing” my life. Instead I was staring into His eyes. I was no longer fretting. It was like when a child is in the dark. He can’t see so he becomes frightened and starts to cry. But that fear of the unknown quickly diminishes once he hears the voice of his father. The touch of his father’s hand floods that child’s heart with peace that flows over.
We must cease from worry, if we seek to enjoy God’s presence. Our impulse to fear will diminish once we realize He is with us. We cannot entertain our fears and truly enjoy our Father. He alone should be the guest of honor in our hearts. And where He abides, there is only light.
Paul wrote in Philippians 4: 6, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your request be made known to God. “ In His presence, we can cry out. We can make our needs known. And only when we cry out to Him, can he make Himself known in respect to those needs.
In that place of our darkness, He speaks and our hearts are illuminated.

Beloved, my prayer for you today is that your heart is flooded with the knowledge of His presence. That the peace of God which surpasses all understanding will guard your heart and mind in Christ Jesus. I pray that you will follow His lead as He brings you unto Himself.

Blessings,

Lauryn Everett