A Divine Invitation

"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." Philippians 4:6-7 NIV

We have begun to rejoice in the Lord, and to remember to "chill out" (as my children used to say). Now it is time to enter another dimension of release. In order to relax and enter into faith with all that comes our way, we have the awesome joy of releasing matters into the hands of the One Who was, Who is, and Who is to come - the One who knows all and is able to handle all of me and everything in the world. So now we enter.

This verse presumes an attitude of heart that trusts the Lord. In the Word, the word "faith" is synonymous with trust or confidence. So these "steps" in Philippians are the way of faith. The trust in our Lord for all He is and for the truth of His promises in the middle of our obvious need, is essential. As we begin rejoicing in Him, our faith rises to empower the relaxed, gentle approach that is able to release into His hands, all that concerns us.

Notice that it is not in a panic mode that this is done. There is a gentle relaxing because He is near. Now we can release every thing into His care. All anxiousness begins to cease as our trust in Him rises. We begin to dialogue with Him and let Him know our honest feelings and thoughts as our awareness of His love and care begin to rise. As we release all to Him, knowing He is taking care of it, then something absolutely magnificent occurs. The peace of God, which is beyond any understanding of the human mind, rises as a shield to guard the heart (emotions+) and mind as we rest all in the Lord Jesus.

It is beyond all understanding or ability of the mind to comprehend. It just is. This is not something we reason away or look at things logically and then begin to feel better. No, not at all! It is a supernatural interface with Almighty God as we trust Him with all that concerns us.

The very ability to rest is empowered! WOW! Thank God it is not up to me to find rest, or create trust. Instead, it is empowered as we willingly follow the rejoicing pathway, releasing our cares into the hands of One who can handle them. Our lives in Christ Jesus are to be marked with this interchange. Again, we have an awesome God and His love for us and provision for us is boundless!

This truth changes the lives of all who enter and choose the interaction. This truth is never intended to cause guilt or a sense of "shoulda - oughta" in us. Rather it is a precious invitation from our Lord to enter and live. He just waits and allows us to make the choice. Remember Romans 8:1 - "There is no condemnation to those....". So He is inviting us to let Him take care of things.

It is much like the discipline I have observed in some of my young friends' action with their 3-5 year old. They would call her name, then say "you need to make a better choice," when her behavior needed adjusting in public. Sometimes she did, sometimes she didn't. But either way they embraced her heart and guided her ways. That's like our Lord - just the invitation to make the choice of life in Him instead of stress and worry. He waits and empowers.