JANUARY 5, 2015
Assembly
Required
Read: Philippians 4:4-13
Be anxious for nothing, but . . . let your requests be made
known to God. —Philippians 4:6
When our daughter and her fiancé began receiving wedding
presents, it was a happy time. One gift they received was a bench cabinet that
had to be assembled—and I volunteered for the task because they already had so
much to do to prepare for the wedding. Although it took a couple of hours, it
was much easier than expected. All of the wooden pieces were precut and
predrilled, and all the hardware for assembly was included. The instructions
were virtually foolproof.
Unfortunately, most of life isn’t that way. Life doesn’t carry
with it simple instructions, nor do we find all of the necessary parts in hand.
We face situations with no clear idea of what we’re getting into or what it
will take to pull it off. We can easily find ourselves overwhelmed with these
difficult moments.
But we need not face our burdens alone. God wants us to bring
them to Him: “Be anxious for nothing, but . . . let your requests be made known
to God; and the peace of God . . . will guard your hearts and minds through
Christ Jesus” (Phil. 4:6-7).
We have a Savior who understands and offers His peace in the
midst of our struggles.
Stayed upon Jehovah,
Hearts are fully blest—
Finding, as He promised,
Perfect peace and rest. —Havergal
The secret of peace is to give every anxious care to God.
Insight
Writing while imprisoned, Paul reminds the believers in the
church at Philippi not to be anxious about anything. But these familiar verses
should not be detached from what follows. After telling the believers not to be
anxious (v.6), Paul encourages them to focus their minds on positive virtues
(v.8).
Source:
Our Daily Bread 2012
