May 18: Insight Post by Kim Feld
Monday Insight Post
by Kim Feld
God has been showing me how much I lack simplicity in my life. My schedule is overcrowded, I have more than I need, and I often let fear and worry rob me of peace. Take a look at a couple of our verses this week:
⁶Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need and thank him for all he has done. ⁷Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6–7 (NLT)
These words may seem to be “easier said than done,” but God gives us a promise of His peace if we follow them. I sometimes feel like I gain some control by worrying or ruminating about an issue again and again. But what if I used that same energy to pour my heart out to God?
There’s an old hymn that I love called “What a Friend We Have in Jesus.” Let’s look at these words:
What a friend we have in Jesus,
all our sins and griefs to bear!
What a privilege to carry
everything to God in prayer!
O what peace we often forfeit,
O what needless pain we bear,
all because we do not carry
everything to God in prayer!
These words remind me that I often forfeit peace by trying to carry the burden myself. Jesus wants to carry it for me, if I’ll let Him. As I think about different situations that I am currently dealing with, I’m asking myself, “Am I forfeiting peace? And if so, why?”
I know that many of us are carrying heavy burdens right now, so please don’t think I’m trying to oversimplify those situations. But if I believe God’s Word is true, He tells me to give my cares to Him and let Him deal with them. He promises to meet our worries with His peace, and He doesn’t distinguish between big and small worries. He wants all of them.
What I choose to dwell on is within my control. I can’t control the situations around me or the hard parts of life, but God invites me to bring all my heartache to Him. His peace will guard our hearts and minds as we live in Christ Jesus.
Kim Feld
Executive Director of Education and Outreach
New Hope Church
Lorton, Virginia
newhope.org