This is an article I feel would help and bless many during this time of the year. It may not be a God Story but let's call it MORE....
Do you ever wonder how God must feel when people take His daily mercies for granted? People often take God’s general providence for granted; all of the complex details that come together every day, just to sustain our lives are too many to number. Yet, how often do we stop to thank God for all He has done for us? With that in mind I want to talk with you today about being thankful, even during the tough times of life. We need to be reminded often of all the reasons we have to be thankful to God.
Have you ever seen a label that says—“Warning: Contents Under Extreme Pressure”? Sometimes I think that should be a warning label we place on people especially at certain times of the year. I have never seen so many stressed out people. There’s actually a well known stress scale called the Holmes Stress Scale, which lists the 100 most stressful events you can have in life; things like the death of a spouse, a divorce, losing a job, etc. On that scale, after much research, they have discovered that THE single most stressful time of the year is the period between Thanksgiving and New Years.
So how do you keep your joy and sanity in the midst of all the insanity? In the midst of a bad economy? When things aren’t going your way? How do you be thankful in tough times?
Philippians 4:4 (NIV) says, “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!”
Is that possible? Is it possible to always rejoice (be glad), no matter what the circumstance? Yes! Paul goes on to say, “Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things” (Philippians 4:5-8 NIV). In this very short passage we have the four keys to surviving stress. They are very simple to say, but they’re a lot more difficult to apply….
Step One: WORRY about nothing “Do not be anxious about anything…” (Philippians 4:6 NIV). It’s no sweat to repeat this verse, but as soon as you’re finished saying it, you start worrying. The Smithsonian Institute magazine recently said that we live in the “Golden Age of Anxiety.” We not only have micro worries, which are your personal worries, but we’re also confronted daily with macro worries—the worries of the world. It’s no wonder people are uptight. They get up in the morning to an alarm clock and that sets them off in a negative mood in the first place. It’s not a “comfort” clock, it’s an “alarm” clock. Then the first thing they do is turn on Bad Morning, America and catch up on all of the latest from Iraq, Afghanistan, Iran and North Korea…..more great news! They sit down to breakfast to eat their breakfast and they read the newspaper which is full of more great news. They get in the car and on the way to work and listen to talk radio to hear more great news. It’s no wonder they’re stressed out by the time they get to work. The Bible says, “worry about nothing.”
Here are some facts about worry from Dr. Walter Calvert. He did a study and discovered that 40% of your worries never happen. 30% of your worries concern the past. Worry cannot change the past and it cannot control the future. All worry does is mess up today. You can worry about the past all you want, but it’s not going to change it. The past is past that’s why it’s called “past”—it’s gone! So 30% of your worries are past and 40% of your worries aren’t even going to happen. That means 70% of your worries are worthless. Dr. Calvert says that 12% of your worries are needless health concerns. It’s kind of like the hypochondriac who had written on his tombstone, “I told you I was sick!” He also said that 10% of your worries are insignificant and petty issues. This leaves only 8% of your worries as being actual, legitimate concerns.
But here’s the point–worrying doesn’t change anything. It’s stewing without doing. There is no such thing as a born worrier. Worry is a learned response. You learned it from someone–your parents, your peers, you learned it from experience. That’s good news because if worry is learned that means it can also be unlearned. So how do you unlearn it? Jesus said, “So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own”(Matthew 6:34 NAS). What is Jesus saying here? He’s saying don’t open your umbrella until it starts raining. Today is probably the tomorrow you worried about yesterday.
It’s interesting to know that when Paul wrote this letter he was in prison in a Roman dungeon. The key to reducing stress in your life is live one day at a time. Just focus on today. Whenever God tells us not to do something, He always has a positive replacement. What does that mean? Whenever God has a “don’t” He always has a “do”. Anytime He says “eliminate this from your life,” He adds something in and that’s the second step…
Step Two: PRAY about everything Paul goes on to say, “…but in everything, by prayer and petition…” (Philippians 4:6 NIV). Maybe you’re thinking, “But, I’m too busy to pray!” The truth is you’re too busy not to pray. If you would use the time you normally spend worrying you’d have plenty of time to pray. If you prayed as much as you worried, you’d have a whole lot less to stress about. Just pray when you used to worry. If you’ll do that, you’ll find you have plenty of time for prayer. He says “in everything…” Some people think God only cares about religious things: “God cares about how many people I talk to about Christ or how many people I invite to church or how much I give.” But the truth is that God cares for more than just these things. Is God interested in your car payments? YES. Is He interested in your postnasal drip? Or your foot fungus? YES. He’s interested in every detail of your life. I like what the Philips Paraphrase says in this verse…”when you pray, tell God every detail of your life.” God is concerned about the big things and the small things in your life. He knows every detail of your life. The Bible says He even knows the number of hairs on your head (for some of you that ain’t all that difficult). The God who made every thumbprint unique, who made every voice print unique, who made every snowflake unique, has no problem handling the details of your life.
Paul goes on to say, “…pray with petition…” What does petition mean? A petition means a specific, detailed prayer. Most people pray too vague so they never get any answers. Things like, “God, bless me.” What is a blessing? Can you define what a blessing is? Sometimes a problem is a blessing in disguise. Is that what you’re praying for? “God, give me a lot of problems.” You need to be specific. “Give all your worries and cares to God, for He cares about what happens to you” (1 Peter 5:7 NLT). We need to learn to unload our problems instead of worrying about them. I love the wording of this passage in the Greek because the word translated as “give” literally means “just let it drop.” It’s not toss it or throw it or heave it fifteen feet—just let it go. It’s the idea of a dead lift participant in the Olympics. He lifts the weights up into the air, but rather than putting them down real smooth, he just steps back out of the way and lets the weights fall. That is the picture here in the Greek language with our worries. Just make sure to get your toe out of the way first. Prayer is a tremendous release valve.
I read recently that major life insurance companies have done studies and discovered that if you attend church every week you will live on the average 5.7 years longer than people who don’t attend church every week. Just one more reason to attend church every week. But why is this true? One guess I have is that those people who do go to church unload their worries on the Lord. They have learned to decompress. If you don’t talk it out to God, you’ll take it out on yourself. When you swallow your worries your stomach keeps score. You’ve got to let it go, unload it. Paul says if you want to relieve stress here’s what you do…worry about nothing and pray about everything. This sounds simple, but it’s something that you have to learn over and over.
Step Three: THANK GOD in all things
Paul further says, “…with thanksgiving, present your requests to God” (Philippians 4:6 NIV). Whenever you pray, you should always pray with thanksgiving. The healthiest human emotion is not love, but gratitude. Believe it or not scientists have proven that having a thankful attitude in life actually increases your immunities. It actually makes you more resistant to stress and less susceptible to illness. You need to develop the attitude of gratitude because it’s the healthiest human emotion! People who are grateful are happy, but people who are ungrateful are miserable because nothing makes them happy. They’re never satisfied. Nothing is ever good enough.
There’s an old hymn my church used to sing when I was growing up that went like this: “Count your blessings, name them one by one. Count your blessings see what God has done. Count your blessings. Name them one by one. Count your many blessings, see what God has done.” I think that song is a great idea. This week maybe you need to start making a list of all the things God has done for you. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 (NIV) says, “Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” Please notice the word “in” there. It’s actually the most important word to keep you from misinterpreting this verse. It does not say “Give thanks FOR every circumstance.” That’s often a misinterpretation you hear with some Christians. They’ll say things like, “You should give thanks FOR everything.” The Bible doesn’t teach that. The Bible says give thanks IN every circumstance. I don’t know about you, but when I get a flat tire the first words that pop into my mind aren’t…“Thank God.” I’m not going to tell you what the first words that pop into my mind are! If you’re in a car crash do you say…“Praise the Lord!”? Be serious—that’s loony Christianity not biblical Christianity. You don’t have to give thanks for evil in the world. If my child were murdered I would not be thankful for that. If my wife came down with cancer, I would not be thankful for that. When terrorists fly airplanes into buildings, I’m not thankful for that! The Bible does not tell us to be thankful for evil. The Bible says “IN every circumstance give thanks,” not FOR every circumstance. Even out of bad, God can bring good.
Step Four: THINK ABOUT the right things Even if you have spiritual A.D.D. like me you can discipline yourself and learn to do this. Paul says, “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things” (Philippians 4:8 NIV). If you want to reduce the level of stress in your life, you must change the way you think. Whatever you put in your brain is what’s going to come out. It’s like a computer—garbage in, garbage out. The way you think determines the way you feel and the way you feel determines the way you act. So Paul says if you want to change your life, you need to change what you’re thinking about.
If you’re reading the newspapers more than you’re reading the Bible and you’re watching television and movies too much, they mostly glorify the unhealthy in life rather than the healthy. It says think about the things that are true, noble, right, lovely, admirable—does that describe what Hollywood is portraying? Does that sound like the typical movie in the theaters these days? Not a chance! Paul tells us to fill our minds with good things. That involves a deliberate conscious choice where you change the channels if necessary. Why should I do this? Because the root cause of stress is the way I choose to think. Why is it that you can take two people, put them in the exact same circumstance and one of them falls apart and collapses emotionally while the other handles it with very little problem at all? Obviously, the problem is not the circumstance—it’s your response. It’s how you’re viewing it.
“For as a man thinks in his heart, so is he” (Proverbs 23:7 NLV). What do you think about most? What dominates your mind? What are you thinking about right now? We always move toward what we’re focusing on. So if you want to become like Christ, you have to train yourself to think about Him. You have to fill your mind with the Bible. What is the result of doing these things? What is the result of worrying about nothing, praying about everything, thanking God in all things, and keeping my mind on the right things? When you do these four steps look at the result it produces in your life. “And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:7 NIV). What a guarantee! He is guaranteeing peace of mind—Have you noticed that is what everybody seems to be looking for? It’s amazing the things people will try in order to find peace of mind—yoga, crystals, therapy, fad diets, books, seminars, tapes—then they watch Oprah followed by Dr. Phil. They run from one thing to the next, one counselor to the next, looking for peace of mind. But the Bible says that God’s peace is a gift to you. It can’t be explained and it can’t be duplicated.
How do I get that kind of peace of mind that keeps my heart at peace when I’m under pressure? That keeps me calm in a crisis? That gives me strength in the storm? That helps me be thankful in the tough times? How do I get that kind of peace? The key is the last phrase of that verse…“in Christ Jesus.” It’s a relationship—you need a personal relationship with Jesus Christ—you need to put your faith and trust in Him. Paul says that God’s peace will “guard” your heart and mind. Please notice that word “guard.” The word guard is a military term in Greek. It means a sentry guard, a garrison of troops or soldiers. Remember, when Paul was writing to these people in Philippi, it was a Roman city, a colony protected by the Roman legion. The Roman legion, the sentry guards, kept the peace of the city of Philippi in tact. God says that when you trust Christ, He puts a sentry guard on your mind. He keeps you at peace when everything else wants to make you stressed out. That’s the way you do it. What’s got you worried today? Your health? Your finances? Your relationships? All that you’ve got to do in the next couple of weeks? Marriage problems? Your kids? Your career? If you’ll take these steps and let Jesus Christ become the sentry guard of your mind and the center of your life, you will find a peace you could not imagine!
How can we be thankful during difficult times?
When our world is falling apart…
When we have more questions than answers…
When bad things happen to good people…
When evil seems to be gaining ground…
When the last penny is spent and retirement is decades away…
When your retirement savings are gone and you still have many years to live…
When your medical coverage has come to an end and you’ve found no relief…
When the doctor says its terminal…
When the fire marshal says its time to evacuate…
When the phone rings in the middle of the night and the news is much worse than you could ever image…
When life is hard, when there seems to be no light at the end of the tunnel, where do we turn? How can we be thankful during difficult times?
The Bible teaches us that we can trust in God. Psalm 46 reminds us that God is our strength and our refuge – our place of security and safety. Everything else WILL fall away at one time or another. Health, Wealth, Job Security, Family and Friends. But no God. All else may forsake but God will not. All else may collapse but God won’t.
No one knows what tomorrow will bring. In life there is only One who is constant, who is firm, who is secure. Our God is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. His promises can be ours today! How can we be thankful during difficult times? Only when we recognize that God is our only source of strength and refuge – our only security in this life and the one to come.
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