Passage:
Philippians 4:6-7
“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.”
Devotion:
The month of June is about to end, and half the year has gone by. This time of the season, do you feel like your cup is half full or half empty?
I think most of us are honestly discontent with how the first half of the year turned out. Some of us even feel that the cup is getting more and more empty. I have struggled with this thought for the past few weeks. A lot of things have been going on, everyone is so busy, and many things were already done, but I just couldn’t feel I had done enough. I’ve been feeling drained.
Until one ordinary afternoon, while I was with a volunteer, she randomly opened her wallet and pulled out a card. it was the card I gave her last year before she took her entrance exam at her dream university. And on that card, I wrote the verse Philippians 4:6-7: 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.
What a simple but striking way for God to remind me about the obvious things I need to do as a follower of Christ. I felt very emotional as we read the verse together because I realized I’ve become comfortable worrying when I should be praying and thanking God for always being there to help me fill up my cup every day.
The verse may make the phrase “in every situation” sound so easy, but knowing what the apostle Paul went through as he was writing these verses as an encouragement made me more convinced that nothing is too big or too little to bring to our Lord. The peace of God that surpasses all understanding will surely keep our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus as we continue to fill up our cups with His promises and His greater plans for our lives.
What a great comfort, encouragement, and assurance this reminder is as we continue to fulfill our life purpose for the next half of 2024.
Prayer:
Dear Heavenly Father, I confess—I am so sorry—that I often choose worry over prayer, Lord. Thank You that You never get tired of calling and inviting me to surrender all my worries to You. Thank You for the abundant first half of the year, Lord. I continue to ask for Your guidance and Your blessing as we pursue the next half. May Your peace and comfort remain and radiate in our hearts as we continue to live our lives as Your children. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.
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