Assembly Required

Starting the New week off in this New Year with Be anxious for nothing, but . . . let your requests be made known to God. —Philippians 4:6 When our daughter and her fiancé began receiving wedding presents, it was a happy time. One gift they received was a bench cabinet that had to be assembled—and I volunteered for the task because they already had so much to do to prepare for the wedding. Although it took a couple of hours, it was much easier than expected. All of the wooden pieces were precut and predrilled, and all the hardware for assembly was included. The instructions were virtually foolproof. Unfortunately, most of life isn’t that way. Life doesn’t carry with it simple instructions, nor do we find all of the necessary parts in hand. We face situations with no clear idea of what we’re getting into or what it will take to pull it off. We can easily find ourselves overwhelmed with these difficult moments. But we need not face our burdens alone. God wants us to bring them to Him: “Be anxious for nothing, but . . . let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God . . . will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” (Phil. 4:6-7). We have a Savior who understands and offers His peace in the midst of our struggles. —Bill Crowder Stayed upon Jehovah, Hearts are fully blest— Finding, as He promised, Perfect peace and rest. —Havergal The secret of peace is to give every anxious care to God. Bible in a year: Genesis 13-15; Matthew 5:1-26 Insight Writing while imprisoned, Paul reminds the believers in the church at Philippi not to be anxious about anything. But these familiar verses should not be detached from what follows. After telling the believers not to be anxious (v.6), Paul encourages them to focus their minds on positive virtues (v.8).