He's Got the Whole World In His Hands

We live in a broken world. Sometimes we can forget about it for a little while, but after the tragedy-filled weeks we've just gone through, it would be next to impossible to forget. Every day, I see flags waving from half-mast, brightly-colored symbols of the sorrow gripping our world. "When will it all get better?" I wonder. "Can it get better?"

I recall the days when I was an optimistic middle-schooler (I know, I know, not really that long ago), tracking the politics of the country and excited to one day wear the "I'm a Voter" sticker. I followed and analyzed candidates, anticipating the day I would add my vote to millions of others' and make my little difference in the world. Sure, nothing was perfect then--far from it--but it seemed that the flags were more often at full-mast than not.

The other day, an adult apologized to me for the world their generation is passing down to mine. And I had to laugh because I and my generation really are inheriting a world like none before. Not necessarily worse. But very different.

And that scares me.

If I stop and think about it, a feeling of helplessness begins to overwhelm me, and I start wondering if there's another continent out there for us to discover. With those feelings comes anxiety about the future, both near and far. Anxiety about what kind of world I'm going to graduate in, get married in, raise children in. November's elections aren't getting farther away, and four years sounds like a very long time.

See? It's easy to get anxious if you give it enough thought.

But the other day, in my devotional, I studied Philippians 4:6-7. The next day, it came up on one of my "Verse of the Day" notifications (a clear sign that God is trying to get something through to me).

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

I stopped and reread it and then broke it down for myself.

"Do not be anxious about anything" 
I looked up the definition of anxious so I could understand exactly what Paul was saying not to be.

Anxious: experiencing worry, unease, or nervousness, typically about an imminent event or something with an uncertain outcome

 Paul says do not be anxious because we do not have an uncertain outcome.  Jesus has already secured the victory. Our mystery is His history. We don't have to be uneasy about uncertain outcomes because our outcome is certain. It may not be the way we want it to be but that doesn't mean God hasn't already provided for it.

I then took a look at the context. Just before this verse, Paul writes, "The Lord is at hand." That is why we don't have to be anxious. God is nearby. He is not far away tending to the "big stuff" or just absently watching us destroy His creation. He is "at hand" and ready to help us when we cry out to Him.

And that is what He tells us to do. He tells us to give Him our requests...and our concerns and our fears and our anxiety. Then, once we've given him our requests, He can replace our anxiety with His perfect peace. Peace that surpasses all understanding.

Knowing that the outcome of November's elections and whatever comes beyond that is in God's hand takes a burden off of us. It's not our job to save the world, or even to patch it together until Jesus comes back (can I just say, "Come, Jesus!"). It's our job to love our neighbors and our enemies and take the Gospel to the nations. But we can't do that if we're constantly anxious about what tomorrow holds.

Take your troubles to God and be ready to thank Him for His peace surpassing all understanding.