Soul Scientist

Philippians 4:6 TLB “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything; tell God your needs, and don’t forget to thank him for his answers.”

Philippians 4:7 WE “Then God will give you peace, a peace which is too wonderful to understand. That peace will keep your hearts and minds safe as you trust in Christ Jesus.”

Instead of worry, God tells me to pray. Not just to pray about what I see as urgent or too big for me to handle, what terrifies or delights me, what’s here or what could be coming, what I think I’ve got under control or that for which I have no plan, or… But to “pray about everything.”

There’s nothing that’s not covered by everything.

Everything includes every person, position, and perplexity, every event and expectation, every hope and help, every time, trial, and temptation, every situation, stress, and sorrow, every victory and validation, every appointment and advancement, every disappointment, denigration, and denial, and every fear, facebook post, and forever.

There’s nothing outside the reach, realm, and rule of our ever-present, ever-knowing, ever-powerful God. His good plan for good for us doesn’t include worry, hand-wringing, or worthlessness or defeat, doubt, or deception. Yet all too many times, I choose what He doesn’t have for me, instead of what He does have for me. And that’s when fear gets me by the throat. For in fear, I see nothing but myself and my many can’t-do’s in the now instead of what He’s already done for me for forever.

Here’s a few sentences I tell myself often to realign my mind and heart into remembering what is true (see Philippians 4:8):

Nothing is too hard for God.

Nothing is too simple for God.

Nothing is too big for God.

Nothing is too small for God.

No one is beyond redemption by God.

No one is beyond restoration from God.

No situation is outside where I can receive grace from God.

No situation is outside where I can return praise to God.

No situation is outside where I can rely on promises from God.

Scripture repeatedly tells me these truths. Scripture repeatedly gives me examples of people who believed these truths. Scripture repeatedly reminds me that God is always faithful in these truths.

David said it well in Psalm 139:7-12 NIV:

“Where can I go from your Spirit?
    Where can I flee from your presence?
If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
    if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
    if I settle on the far side of the sea,
 even there your hand will guide me,
    your right hand will hold me fast.
 If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me
    and the light become night around me,”
 even the darkness will not be dark to you;
    the night will shine like the day,
    for darkness is as light to you.”

No matter where I go (or where I’ve been), God will be there. Nothing can “separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:39 NIV).

No matter where you are today, God is with you. He’s waiting for your prayers about the everything in your life, even and especially that circumstance which has put you facedown in the dust.

Nothing is impossible for Him (see Luke 1:37).

Nothing.

written by and copyrighted to Beth Madison, Ph.D., 2024.