Seek God's peace

This is ironic... being on-point, efficient and successful are the name of the game in the world we live in, but so are stress, deadlines and worry. In reality, these two lists directly cancel each other out. Worry is an assassin, taking out our ability to rest, get stuff done and keep hold of healthy relationships. We've known that for at least 3,000 years: in the Bible we find that Solomon wrote, 'Worry is a heavy burden' (Proverbs 12:25 CEV).

Philippians 4:6 NLT shares a way for us to relieve worry. It says, 'Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he's done.' It reminds us that the only way to centre ourselves is to centre on God. Without that, our own efforts to do stuff or meet expectations can destroy us. And sometimes, worry and stress move in and take over, leaving us with no space or energy to focus on anything, let alone God.

We're not built to live our days without peace; our minds, souls and even our bodies start breaking without it. The only source of true peace is God. So let's deliberately make space to sit still, breathe and ask him into our anxious spaces. As one adage says: 'No God, no peace; know God, know peace'.



So what now? Today (or any day), when things are so stressful that you don't have the energy to think about what to pray, just say, 'God, be here with me.' Then have a distraction-free five minutes of accepting God's peace.





— SCRIPTURE —

'Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything.' Philippians 4:6 NLT
— SOULFOOD —

Col 3-4 + Philem, Mark 11:12-26, Ps 112, Pro 23:13-15