Several years ago, I planted a new church just outside of Atlanta, Georgia. As all church planters know, it was tough sledding for several years, and my faith was tested and stretched in ways I had never experienced. After four years of worshiping in a school, we were finally ready to start construction on our first church building. In fact, we had to start because the school board said we had one more year. After that, we could no longer use the school.
6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6-7 NIV)
The same week, we were to break ground, a bizarre series of events took place that threatened to take our land, our construction loan, the whole project. I was riddled with anxiety. After wasting a day or so wrapped up in worry, I finally did the sensible thing and took the matter to God. One of our members lived on a nearby lake, and they graciously allowed me to use their dock for a time of extended prayer. The lake was serene, and the weather was calm. It was an absolutely beautiful day, which was in stark contrast to the state of my heart.
As I began to pray the matter through, God began to ask me a series of rather pointed questions:
What are you afraid of, Dan? I'm afraid we're going to lose that land and that loan.
Ok, but Dan, let's go a little deeper. What are you really afraid of? I'm afraid that we're not going to make it, that my church is going to collapse, four years of work down the tubes.
You know, Dan, it's not your church. It's my church – I can take care of my church. Yeah, I know.
So, Dan, stay with me, what is it that you're afraid of? I'm afraid I'm going to fail, Lord. I'm afraid I will go down as the first pastor in the history of Methodism to kill a church before it even started. I'm afraid I'll be a laughingstock and lose the respect of my peers.
Ok, now we're getting somewhere, Dan. Tell me, make your request known to me – what is it that you really want from me? Lord, I just need to know that no matter what happens, you're not going to leave me. I just need to know you're going to be there.
I'm not going to leave you, Dan. I love you. I bought you with the blood of my precious Son – there's no way I'm going to abandon you.
At that moment, a peace that certainly passed all my understanding settled on my heart. The problems and challenges were still before me, but they no longer generated fear and anxiety. When we are willing to spend some serious time in prayer and give God a chance to speak to our deepest fears, that is the moment he can make verse seven a reality in our lives:
"And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."
The peace of God which surpasses all understanding, the peace of God which makes absolutely no sense in light of our circumstances, the peace of God which we cannot explain begins to stand guard over our hearts and minds. Our emotions and our thoughts no longer run out of control with fear and anxiety because God himself is standing guard, keeping watch over us. The necessity to get everything figured out, all problems solved, and the situation brought under control is gone because we've given it to Him. Even though it may be inexplicable from a human perspective, we can find rest and have peace when we purposefully invite God to speak into our lives.
Ask yourself:
What is creating anxiety in your life today?
How have you handled the situation thus far?
Have you given God ample time to speak into that situation?
Are you genuinely interested in what He says?
The results are in, and we have so many amazing ways to share with you how God has used the entire ILI Global family including all the leaders and alumni to make an impact on the spread of the Gospel in 2022.