Philippians 4:6-7

New King James Version

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

 For Meditation

He missed his flight by about twelve hours. It was one of those “wicked” flights because of their deceptive hours. His departure date was 13 March 2018 at 2 am. However, the airline agent had boldly written 11 pm as his reporting time. So, Richard reported to the gate on time at 11 pm, Tuesday 13 March, or so he thought. 

To his surprise and horror, the check-in counter was empty. He did not reckon that the reporting time was 11 pm, Monday 12 March, for the 2 am flight to Lagos on Tuesday the 13th. You are confused like many others who have missed their flights this way, right? Disappointed, my friend changed his last dollar bills and took a taxi home. 

My phone rang desperately around 7 am. My friend needed 60.000 cfa ($115) as a penalty to rebook his flight for that day. He, however, wanted to check his balance at his bank first. After waiting six hours from one officer to the other, they told him his account was redundant and would take more than a day to restore it. 

I sent the money to him with a driver to the airline’s office and got the flight rescheduled for the same hours. On the drive back to his house, he felt relieved and contented. He checked his wallet and found 77,000 cfa ($145) neatly stashed there. It is a mystery how he thought he received 17,000 cfa only for the dollars he changed at the airport the previous night. But that is what anxiety does.
My good friend did not have to borrow money after all.

The Holy Spirit counsels us against anxiety in chapter four of Philippians. “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, 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” (Phil. 4:6-7).

When we allow disappointment to unsettle us, we lose ourselves. Our sense of coordination disappears, and we cannot think right. The surprise of the situation destabilizes our plans and sends us into a frenzy. We become angry and desperate. We fret and make poor decisions. Fear drives away our peace, giving way to anxiety as happened to the disciples with Jesus in the storm (Matthew 8:23-25). But God wants us to still be calm at such times and whisper a prayer to Him with thankful hearts for His providence. With His peace in Christ Jesus ruling our hearts and minds, the fog will clear, and we will see well and think right for the right decisions. Like my friend, we may not have to do anything after all.

Whatever happens this week and through this year, remember the Prince of Peace is with you and is in absolute control. Lift a prayer to Him with a thankful heart and experience His calming presence and peace in that storm. Amen.

Pray with Me.

Father, thank you for the promise of peace in my anxious moments when I call on you from my stormy situations with a thankful heart in Christ Jesus. Amen.