Thank You, God, That You’re Handling This
What God taught me this week
God got through to me this week…which is quite a thing.
If you’ve read some of my other articles, you’re aware that I’m a Type A girl with a need for control, order, and personal perfection. None of these are, firstly, possible, or secondly, very healthy pursuits for a Christian who has supposedly given her life over to the Lord.
But God, I think, has been knocking on my door for a while
So, when the level of things at work beyond my control that were stressing me out of my mind ratcheted up these past two weeks to “over 9,000” (sorry, excuse the millennial meme reference), I was left staggering under the weight of stress, worry, and anxiety.
I was also left wondering why God was letting this happen to me. Regardless, logically, I knew I was supposed to:
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. (Philippians 4:6, NKJV)
And, if I did this, then:
… the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:7, NKJV)
Logically, I knew this extreme worry was wrong.
Logically, I knew I had been writing on here about relying on God for peace.
Logically, I knew that God was in control.
I felt a bit like a fraud
I was unable to feel what I knew I was supposed to. It was like I didn’t trust God to take care of me … which is a terrible thought, because of course I trust God implicitly!
I finally, out of desperation, decided to try tricking my seemingly untrusting emotions with my apparently more trusting brain.
Please, God, handle this. And thank you, God, I prayed, not feeling an iota of the words, that You’re handling this.
I paused, looked back, and admitted something else that I also knew to be true.
Thank you, God, for all the thousands of times you’ve worked things out in the past.
It didn’t happen in an instant
But, after a few days of doing this every time a worry popped into my mind, I realized something:
I felt peace when I shouldn’t.
I think God had let this happen to me so I would, in desperation, approach Him with thanksgiving for all He has done and will do for me, and with supplication that He would handle things in the present.
And I think I’ve now had some of that peace which surpasses all understanding.
God got through to this Type A girl this week, and I am very, very grateful.
This story is published in Koinonia — stories by Christians to encourage, entertain, and empower you in your faith, food, fitness, family, and fun.
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