40 Day Devotionals 2014 Day 22

I am definitely overwhelmed with the fact that I am about to bring another human being into the world. I can only imagine how my wife feels. She has been going through all kinds of weird physical manifestations. From feeling fantastic at times, to completely stressed out, to just completely out of whack, she runs the gamut of physical traits of pregnancy. It is actually quite difficult to observe. I wish she was having a much easier pregnancy. She summarized it all quite well a couple of nights ago. We were in bed, she was feeling completely terrible and cramping, and she needed some hugs. As I comforted her and wiped her tears, I apologized for the pain she is enduring, she responded with "It is all worth it."
At that moment I realized the strength that women get from becoming mommies. Somehow God gives them this amazing ability to endure life along with producing a child. I have the utmost respect for mommies, more so than I ever have before. I am sure as our child comes into this world and we raise it together, that respect will grow.
We may have situations in life that seem very difficult; family crisis, financial stress, home issues, relationship difficulties, medical problems, and personal anxieties. Our god prepares us for each of them. Even when it seems everything is not tolerable, we need to push forward and trust in Him. Making wise choices and striving to serve God in all of our decisions, is something He continues to bless.

Day22

Scripture

Philippians 4:6-7

-          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.

Wisdom

-          So here we are again, another topic of stress and worry. Why you ask? Because I have multiple people come to me and still ask how to give it up to God! So let’s go through what the Apostle Paul had to say about it.

-          In Philippians we see that the people there were worrying about many things. Paul was in jail, the church was struggling, and Christians were being killed. Yet Paul writes and tells them to not worry but to give their worries to the Lord. And only then will the Peace of God who understands and knows everything will come over you. He goes on to tell them in verse 8 that we should focus our minds on things that are praiseworthy.

-          For me, this season of life is a bit rough. Sure, I’m not in jail or being persecuted for my faith, but having a baby coming on top of all the stress already in my life, is not something I planned for. I know that God is planning great things for me. Not just because I believe in the scriptures, but I believe in the creator. I know that God is taking care of me because I trust in His plan for me and my family’s life. It is not a perfect faith, I still struggle at times, my lack of sleep proves that, but I push on.

-          What Paul is telling us is if we give up our worries to God and then focus on the good on our lives we can stay away from stress. Worrying and stressing is a lack of Faith in God’s plan.

Apply

-          Do you believe that God has a plan for you? That He has your life in his mind?

-          Do you believe in the power of prayer? Perhaps talking to God will help you?

Prayer

-          Take this moment and specifically pray about the things that are stressing you out. Maybe it is people, money, the future, a situation. It doesn’t matter, just let God handle it. Ask God for the strength to handle your problem but let Him carry the burden. Praise God for loving you so much to care about your worries.