Before You Know It~

Before you know it...


I love it when a Bible verse really soothes one of your souls, and yesterday's verses did that. Let's go back for second helpings.

Philippians 4:6-9
6-7 Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.

8-9 Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. Do that, and God, Who makes everything work together, will work you into His most excellent harmonies.

When we follow those verses above the end result is that God will work us into His most excellent harmonies. God's harmonies is another way of saying that everything in our life will be in balance--even keeled. Nothing outta whack!

Do you know what it's like to be outta whack? Have you ever lived with someone who is outta whack? It's stressful and no fun. But if instead of fretting and worrying we transform our concerns into prayers, before you know it, God's wholeness will settle you down.

Have you ever needed to be settled down? Have you ever craved for Christ Himself to show up and take the place of your worry? Have you ever been desperate for everything just finally working out for good?

What is the precursor for all of the above to take place? I know you all know this because you are each beautiful, faithful, and faith-filled children of the most high God!

There have been so many times when I have gone to God, better said, I have gone RUNNING to God with a worry. And the one that immediately comes to mind must be kept private between Him and me out of respect for the other folks involved. Suffice to say that the first few prayers were sloppy, practically grammatically incoherent, and desperate. I was not even sure what to ask for.

Me, whose nickname my senior year in high school was "Mouth of the South," found that words failed me. And yet, slowly but surely, God settled me down. I found that as the days passed I became better--not perfect--at shaping my worries into prayers. And then one day I was in the middle of the outlet mall in Orlando with Rayray when an amazing truth from God's Word hit me between the eyes and Voila! God's wholeness came and rested on me.

Rayray remembers the moment well because in the moment leading up to that precious truth, I had been upset and angry and whispering frantic prayers to our Lord. And then I calmed down dramatically, and Rayray thought I was psycho.

I will share that truth tomorrow. In the meantime, think about all that has you worried; transform them today into prayer.

PRAYER:

Dear Lord, We invite You to settle us down today because we are turning our worries over to You. Rather than worry about ________, I turn this concern into a prayer for ________. We desire to be whole, and we desire those we love to be whole as well. Thank You that we have the assurance that because we are praying this out that You are working us into Your most excellent harmonies--nothing missing and nothing out of balance. In Jesus name, AMEN~