I have skipped out of the Old Testament in my reading. Not that the Old Testament isn't exciting, but I was getting into the Book of Zephaniah, Haggai....well, you know, the "sticky" pages. The readings were getting me down, and frankly I was a little bored. I have decided that perhaps I could skip to some place in the New Testament and spice up my reading. Not that God can't talk to me from Haggai, but I think that I am not in a place where I want to read the story of Gomer again . . . So, onto Philippians.

It's not a very big book (4 chapters). My favorite chapter is the last one. I remember, as a little girl, having memorized this entire chapter so that my cabin could win at the Circle 7 ranch. For those of you who read my blog that I grew up with, remember Circle 7? Those were good days. Days when they "stacked" our cabin our last year there and we blew the competition out of the water. Fun times. Any way....back to Philippians. A passage that I've read there probably a hundred times (and quoted probably just as much) verses 6&7 - Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, 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. Generally, I take those verse separately. In some instances I quote "Don't be anxious about anything and use prayer". Then, in separate instances I use verse 7 - "And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding . . . . ". I have used verse 7 to talk about having the peace of God.

Today, it struck me differently as I read this passage of scripture. I read the two verses as one thought - Don't be anxious for anything, pray about it, and the peace of God will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. I had a "whoa" moment. Maybe you knew this - let me have my moment. Verse 7 is in reference to verse 6. Whatever I'm feeling anxious about, I can pray about and know that God will give me peace that I can't understand. He will take away the anxiety if I let Him. I can present my anxious thoughts and prayers to God with the peace of knowing that He will give me peace about this and guard my heart from the anxiety.

I'm a rather anxious person. I worry about everything - no, seriously, I worry about everything. Sometimes it is hard for me to reconcile that worry is actually a sin. I know, I'm a dummy. Hello, McFly. God tells us that we can lay our anxieties down at His feet, and He will take care of them. I don't have to worry about them. He will take care of them. He will take care of me. Truth spoken. So then, if this is the truth, and it is from God's word, and His word is truth, why don't I readily do this? Why do I give myself an ulcer worrying about the things that (a) I have no control over and (b) God's already taken care of them and just waiting for me to lay them at His feet and trust that He will take care of me. Ah yes, that trust thing again. Crud. I will get it someday. I promise, God. I will get it.

I think it is a great thing to move from the story of Gomer into this great book and chapter. As Paul ends his Pauline epistles, grace be with my blogging friends, my kindred spirits - those on this spiritual journey with me. A song we sang at camp - "He's still working on me" - holds true today. He is still working on me to make me what He wants me to be. A work in progress, and yet a daughter of the most high King.