A prayer, a secret and a promise

 

Well it finally happened. My worst fear.  I’ve caught the fever.   No, not Covid.  Island fever!  Yet,  I do have covid to thank for it.   Don’t get me wrong, I still agree with my friend and lagoon buddy, John who says the worst day here in Hawaii is better than the best day anywhere else.   John is from Alaska by the way.   But I miss my family.  So I finally broke down and bought tickets to see my family back home in Cali in November.   Meanwhile, back on the rock, Covid life continues.  My youngest Micah is in distance learning, planning to go back soon.  My older two boys attend in person at their private high school with strict safety precautions around every corner.  We are nearing the end of our second lock down. And it couldn’t come soon enough. I miss going to our community pool. I miss eating in a restaurant. I miss shopping at other stores besides groceries or Walmart.  Thankfully the lock down has helped the numbers go down and prayerfully, they will stay down.  But who knows, with this unpredictable virus.   There might be another surge lurking out there somewhere. I confess, I used to frantically check the numbers daily on the department of health website, but lately I stopped checking. Is that because the numbers are getting better?   Since the circumstances are getting better, I don’t have to worry so much?  Wouldn’t it be great if I can just be content in both situations? 

So I know this guy in prison who writes these letters that might offer some wisdom on the subject.  You might have heard of him? He goes by Paul, although he didn’t always go by that name but that’s a story for another time. 

This verse I’ve been reflecting on has seemed to follow me around for some time now along my spiritual journey and it  comes from the 4th chapter of Philippians. 

I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me. -Philippians 4:13

Another popular and often quoted scripture but taken out of context.  I also used to think it was my ‘life verse’ or I suppose its the answer I’d give when someone asked me what my ‘life verse’ is.  I now do not understand the concept of  a ‘life verse’. I mean, how can somebody have just one life verse? As I‘m starting to see in my Christian walk, God can use different scripture to speak to us at different points in our life journey.  Just look back at my posts in this blog for the past 5 years.   How can I just pick one life verse?!  

Anyway, I guess the reason I responded  to that question with this verse was because it reminded me of a poster I received at my 8th grade retreat when I was attending St. Louise Catholic school.   It was towards the closing and the end of this day-long retreat and we were asked to come up to a table one by one and pick out a gift.  There were these flat shaped packages wrapped in tissue paper so we just randomly picked out any one.  They all turned out to be posters with these inspirational sayings and every body had a different one.  The one I picked was a picture of a kitten in a shirt pocket and it read ‘when I go as far as I can, Christ takes me the rest of the way’.   It did encourage me but as I look back I think it might have steered me in the wrong direction just a little.  

Its because , you see, when I think of this verse that I so often see printed on the backs of shirts during my marathon races or on jerseys while  watching sports on t.v. , I think of how it empowers me to do anything I want as long as I have Jesus in my heart. 

And so it has been in my life, doing everything on my own strength, my school, work, running,  going as far as I can hoping that Christ will take me the rest of the way.  

I can do anything if I was good, did all the right things and love Jesus.   Well doesn’t that sound nice?

The problem with that was I was relying on my own strength and self too much. There were many times when I kept Christ out of the equation.  So when things did not go my way, I was left disillusioned and mad at the world and God. 

For example, when I failed a test in school or got dumped. 

So I started to study this verse to get the real meaning and context behind it.  Instead, I got more than I bargained for because  really, the whole fourth chapter of Philippians is packed with some really good stuff. 

In chapter 4 of Philippians, this guy in prison, Paul, teaches us a prayer at the beginning, then, a principle to live by (where my so called life verse comes in), and finally he wraps it all up with a promise at the end.  Pretty cool huh?

The Prayer

Did you know that cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), the technique that many psychologists use to treat anxiety is biblically based?  And its right here in this chapter.  CBT offers coping skills and techniques that help people find new ways to behave by changing their thought patterns.  Let’s take a look: 

Philippians 4: 4-9 

Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice! 5Let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do. Remember, the Lord is coming soon.

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.

8And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. 9Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you.

If you struggle with anxiety like I do, this is a wonderful verse to turn to.  To be anxious is to be weighed down. Worry prevents us from being the people God has called us to be. Pray about everything!  God cares about all of our worries and wants us to pray to him about everything, even the  most minute details. We can pray for what we need. When we start being grateful for what God has done, then we can experience peace.  The great benefits of praying to God is experiencing this amazing peace that Paul talks about.  A peace that can only come from God. It surpasses our understanding because we might not always understand why we go through hardships in life or what is happening to us and around us,  but despite this, we know God is taking care of it and there’s peace in that.  This peace will guard our hearts from worry and guard our minds from wrong thinking.  

Then Paul offers us a ‘coping skill’ in the verses that follow.  Think about things that are true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, excellent and worthy of praise.  When I get fed up with what I see on the news or social media, I just have to turn it off.  Instead, I try to fill my brain with something positive by reading a book, or  my bible. Or I turn to my Pinterest feed that streams pumpkin recipes, tips on redecorating my lanai, and of course, bible journaling ideas.  These are a few of my favorite and lovely things. 

Fix your thoughts on what is true.  Don’t get caught up in the enemies lies. 

You think, ‘you are not able’ but God says, ‘I am able’.  (2 Corinthians 9:8) 

You think,  ‘I can’t go on’ , but God says, ‘My grace is sufficient’ (2 Corinthians 12:9)

You think, ‘I feel all alone’, but God says, ‘I will never leave you’ (Hebrews 13:5)

You think, ‘I can’t do it’,  but God says, ‘You can do all things (Philippians 4:13)

These are just some of the biblical truths to combat negative thinking.  There’s a lot more in there. Think on THESE TRUE things!!  

The Principle 

As I mentioned earlier, a lot of my anxiety is influenced by the conditions around me.  Rise of covid numbers, financial uncertainty for example.  In the next verses, our prisoner offers wisdom on how to be content in all situations. 

Philippians 4:10-13 

10How I praise the Lord that you are concerned about me again. I know you have always been concerned for me, but you didn’t have the chance to help me. 11Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. 12I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. 13For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.

I think the important thing to notice is that this wonderful skill is learned.  This doesn’t happen overnight.  I can sure attest to the fact that I’m not living in contentment all day every day.    This takes strength.   But where do we get this strength?  That’s right, in Christ.   God will give me the strength to be content whether I have a lot or have nothing.  

I’m always so grateful when I go up to pay for my groceries at the check out stand.  Something as simple as that is a celebration for me.  The reason being, there once was a time when I went up to pay for my groceries to find out I didn’t have enough money on my card to pay for the bill.  All that time I spent  shopping and now I wouldn’t be able to bring food home to my family. How frustrating and humiliating that was!  I can say for sure I was not content at that time, but it does remind me of how far God has brought me now and I find contentment in that.    

And we must always have the right perspective when it comes to material possessions.  1 Timothy 6:7-8 and Proverbs 30:7-9 offers some insight into this. 

7For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. 8But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. 

“Two things I ask of you, Lord;

do not refuse me before I die:

8Keep falsehood and lies far from me;

give me neither poverty nor riches,

but give me only my daily bread.

9Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you

and say, ‘Who is the Lord?’

Or I may become poor and steal,

and so dishonor the name of my God.

There is a temptation in either situation, poor or rich.  When you’re poor, there is the temptation to steal.  When you have plenty, there is the temptation to be self sufficient and not rely on God.  Also, there’s the temptation to want more. It’s never enough.  Mo’ money, mo’ problems. 

And so that verse, my so called life verse, I can do ALL things through Christ who gives me strength becomes I can do all things in CHRIST according to HIS will. Our circumstances do not determine our contentment. Contentment is found in Christ alone. Jesus is the only way to get us through every and any situation. Our contentment is also based on the condition of our hearts. 

The Promise

Philippians 4: 19

19And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus.

We can definitely find contentment in that God is going to supply us with our needs anyway.  Hallelujah!  We must remember not to confuse our needs with our greed.  Paul says according to HIS riches, not my interpretation of riches.  It has been my heart’s desire for a long time now to own a house, but since it hasn’t happened, God knows that’s not what we need right now.  If God is sheltering us from the responsibility, I’m ok with that.   God always knows what’s best for us. 

So even now, With little or plenty.  Struggling to pay the groceries or buying groceries for someone else.  While in lock down, or no lock down.  Nights out to a dinner and movie or Night in with take out and movie at ‘Brunken theaters’.  Live fellowship groups or Zoom meetings.  Pool or no pool.  Shopping at the mall or shopping online.  

Let’s be thankful in ALL circumstances, because God will make a way and give us strength through it all. 

Thank you for letting me share. 

Hopeful girl, 

Janette

Sober for 1,906 days, hopeful for another day more.