Yesterday, was planned to be a big day. It always is. Every black Friday, my friend and I engage in an annual tradition starting first thing in the morning and going most of the day. It has evolved over the years, where we used to even stay up all night. We were never after TVs or super sales, but we spend the day together each year. Fortunately, as times have changed (and we’ve gotten older) we don’t leave the house at 4am or earlier anymore. Yesterday, was a very easy 8:15am start time.

Even though I knew I would wake up on my own with plenty of time, I still set an alarm with enough time to get showered, eat some breakfast, and make sure the snow blower had enough gas for the snowmaggedon due in the next day. As expected, I didn’t need the alarm, but I figured I would just doze in bed as long as I could with it being a holiday weekend and all.

Work has been extremely stressful, and even though my field, construction, should be slowing down for winter, it seems to be the opposite. Extreme deadlines, lacking coordination, and difficult life events for some of my employees has transitioned one of the most busy and chaotic summers into a fall that has bred more stress than I’ve felt in many, many years. With it being a long, holiday weekend, and no work required, my intent was to get every bit of rest I could soak up despite the plans that had been made.

As soon as I attempted to doze in bed, though, I had this eye opening feeling. I really felt like God was saying, make sure you get up and read scripture before you head out for the day. Now my mornings typically involve a quiet time with the Lord including coffee, scripture, and prayer, so I had intended to do this no matter what. However, this call seemed insatiable in the moment. I felt like I was supposed to read Philippians 4: 8-13. If this seems strange to you, then you are not alone. I am no stranger to feeling called to read in the bible, pray, or even ask someone a random question that doesn’t make sense to me. Having the feeling for a specific chapter and verse though, that is rare and unusual. Especially verses that despite recognizing the book/chapter/verse designation, I could not have quoted them all word for word.

“8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is worthy of respect, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if something is excellent or praiseworthy, think about these things. 9 And what you learned and received and heard and saw in me, do these things. And the God of peace will be with you.

10 I have great joy in the Lord because now at last you have again expressed your concern for me. (Now I know you were concerned before but had no opportunity to do anything.) 11 I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content in any circumstance. 12 I have experienced times of need and times of abundance. In any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of contentment, whether I go satisfied or hungry, have plenty or nothing. 13 I am able to do all things through the one who strengthens me.” (Philippians 4:8-13)

When I read the words, I recalled verses 8 and 13 immediately. They are quoted pretty often by a wide range of people in church sermons, support messages, and even on little wooden wall hanging you might put around your house. While, I certainly appreciated the whole length of the scripture He pulled me out of bed to read, it was verse 12 that jumped off the page to me immediately.

As I mentioned, work has been stressful. I haven’t experienced this level of anxiety in over a decade. That time was soul crushing for me, but God used it as the most formative time for my faith in my entire life. It was a time of scarcity, fear of the unknown, and internal struggles with dark, invasive thoughts. As I read the part of the verse “I have experienced times of need and times of abundance.“ I instantly knew the line He was trying to draw for me. Instead of the scarcity of money in my bank account like I did all those years ago, I am experiencing the scarcity of resources at work. Instead of fearing the unknown of do I have enough jobs to keep my employees working so they can feed their families, I am fearing the unknown of how can all this work possibly get done in the timeframe required. Instead of the dark, invasive thoughts of can I allow my mind and body to keep struggling without taking permanent action in to my own hands, there are dark, invasive thoughts of can my body physically withstand the pressure and stress without just giving out on its own from a major medical issue.

The parallels are uncanny aren’t they? Fortunately, Paul’s letter to the Philippians didn’t end with verse 12. It kept going. “I am able to do all things through the one who strengthens me” Not a couple of things. Not some things. Not most things. ALL THINGS. Biblical superlatives should always perk you up. All the stress, fear, and anxiety is because I try to take God out of the equation. Not that I do that intentionally, but it just happens. I don’t know about you, but I just get too busy for my own good. I get too busy to pray, walk with God, talk to Him, hear from Him, and when that happens, I am too busy to rely on Him and for Him to strengthen me. Don’t get me wrong, it isn’t a conscious decision. I don’t say, “Hey God, I’m really busy today, I’ll catch up with you tomorrow.” It doesn’t look like that. It looks like, I’ll pray as soon as I finish this one thing. Or I’ll read my Bible at lunch time instead of first thing in the morning so I can get something else done first. It’s a magnet beside a compass that draws us away from our true north until one day, we forget the original course we were supposed to be on.

So if you stuck with me this long, then maybe you’re where I was yesterday. I was feeling good about knowing where I was at and feeling good about where I need to be, but it’s the space in between that can be tough. How do I get from where I am to where God wants me to be. Where I need to be. Fortunately, He already gave me that scripture too. It was verses 8 & 9 all along. “8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is worthy of respect, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if something is excellent or praiseworthy, think about these things. 9 And what you learned and received and heard and saw in me, do these things. And the God of peace will be with you.”

Fear, stress, anxiety, do you know what they do? They make us think about things that are the opposite of true, worthy of respect, just, pure, lovely, commendable, and praiseworthy. They make us focus on our own pain and the inability to get out from under what we are crushed by. It is when we focus on the good things, regardless of our own struggles, that we can experience the God of peace being with us. Loving us. Strengthening us. Taking us to the verse 13 reliant child of God we are called to be, and that we long to be deep in our hearts.

Father God – You are real. You are good. You still speak. You still move. Thank you for that. Thank you for moments like yesterday that pull me out of bed and show me the path. Thank you for your grace for having to show me that same path again a decade after you already did. You don’t judge me for needing a lesson a second, third, or even a hundred times. You just love us. Holy Spirit, will you guide us to focus on the just, pure, and lovely things of this life and release the fear, stress, and anxiety to you? We long for your presence and you strength. Strengthen us now. – In Jesus name I pray, Amen.