In Real Life, In Real Time

Day 5

⁶ Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. - Philippians 4:6

"do not be anxious" - do not fear, do not be scared, do not worry

"anything" - literally anything, it generalizes to everything

"in every situation" - whether good or bad, again back to the theme of "regardless of circumstances"

"prayer and petition" - prayer and request, prayer is powerful, so pray boldly

"present" - offer, lay before, give,

"requests" - what you want, what you have to ask

This verse could not have come at a better time. God is absolutely good and God is great. I woke up this morning to a vibrating phone, and it was a job offer to work at the safari which i applied to and was interviewed over the past weekend. I have been waiting all week, contemplating about what i should do. I had another offer back at home, and now that officially i have been offered this job, everything has become so much more real. I have three days to potentially decide on my summer plans. After getting the call, after having all the news settle in as reality, after finally reassuring myself that they probably wont call, after calming down since the interview, my stress/worry levels immediately skyrocketed. Telling my parents, talking to my friends about it, and with everything so overwhelming, I couldn't help but break and just started crying. What was I to do, how was I going to decide, but most importantly, what does God want. I know what I want, but the hardest part is discerning what He wants. I also feel like I may just be stopping myself from taking that step of faith towards something so unknown and so uncomfortable.

But back to the verse, I got out of bed and decided to go straight to my devotions after freshening up. What's better than starting the day in worship, in prayer, in dedication and in his Word. Flipping to Day 5, I landed on this verse. I was actually hesitant to flip, scared to see a verse that told me to do something I didn't want to do. 

Philippians 4:6 was the perfect reminder to be still, to trust and rely on God. Not to be worrisome or anxious about anything, anything at all. God is in control. Instead of worrying and being frantic over something you cannot and should not decide based on your own self efforts, Paul tells us to present our requests to God with prayer, petition and thanksgiving. I hope to pray boldly these next three days, and remain thankful and joyful (v.4) in whatever situation God has placed me in. It stood out to me that it says to present our requests, but it does not necessarily confirm that they will be granted. I need to give and let go of my worries and concerns to God so I can focus and discern his will. Im so thankful God has given me this verse at exactly this time, and it has helped me find peace in scripture and in my Saviour. I would greatly appreciate at it if you could keep me in your prayers if you see all this!

My Prayer: Heavenly Father, you know exactly what position I am in right now. I thank you for these trials and curveballs you have through at me, and I pray you speak to me like you have just now. We both know what I want, but I need to know what you want, where you want to take me. May you remind me of your greatness, and your faithfulness. Restore peace and stillness in me so I can focus and listen accordingly to you and your will. How great is our God. Amen.