“…The Lord is at hand.  Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be known to God; and the peace of God which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”  Philippians 4:5-7

When I was a child, I had a lot of nightmares.  My father was military and was often away from home.  He would be called away for months at a time – for an entire year when I was sixteen.  During those times, I was horribly afraid.  I had terrible dreams about things that could happen to my mother, my brother and me.  When I was a small child, it was the typical goblins and creatures that small children dream about.  As I grew older, the dreams became more realistic and I was filled with terrible fears of my father being snatched away from us, forever absent from our lives.  As soon as he returned from whatever place the Army had sent him, the nightmares ceased and the worries that enveloped me disappeared.

As an adult, I find myself struggling with the nightmares that come with everyday life.  “Am I a good parent, How will I accomplish everything in the little bit of time I have, Do I make my family proud, How do I make ends meet?”  These are questions that we all ask ourselves and if we aren’t careful, these concerns in life take over our minds and keep us from the peace that God desires for us.

Philippians 4:5 & 6 tell us “the Lord is at hand” and to be “anxious for nothing”. I believe in my own life, as I am sure is the case for many people, that this is a very difficult thing to do.  We have so many things pressing in around us that worry becomes as second nature as breathing.  I wake up in the morning and tell myself that I am going to let the Lord handle it, I’m not going to worry about it.  Often by lunchtime, however, my mind is consumed by whatever issue I am facing.  It is plaguing my heart and my mind.

Just as my father’s return always eased my fears and allowed me rest as a child, drawing close to our heavenly father and giving Him our worries releases us from the concerns that we face in our lives.  A mind that is focused on the promises of God cannot focus on the cares that are around us.  God wants us to live life in His peace.  That doesn’t mean that problems will cease to exist in our lives.  It does, however, mean that we don’t have to let them destroy our minds and our health (it’s a proven fact that stress can cause sickness and shortens our life span!).  God will take those “nightmares” and in return give our hearts and minds “peace that surpasses all understanding.”