Euodia and Syntyche - Pt 5

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you. (Philippians 4:4-9 ESV).

Have you ever faced a situation when you were paralyzed by the seemingly insurmountable conflict ahead? Perhaps it’s a conversation with a co-worker or supervisor about a conflict that has arisen in your workplace; or, it may be a discovery you have made about the behavior of your child; or it could be something that you suspect in the life of your spouse that has caused you to fear the worst outcome you’ve ever imagined; maybe it’s a conversation you’ve had with your healthcare provider about some tests you’ve had that have you wondering how you are going to break this news to your loved ones. You’re simply terrified and can’t go forward. The Apostle Paul, writing from his prison cell in Rome, gives us the answer to this dilemma, “Don’t be anxious about the conflict, but ask God to resolve it” (v. 6). We all fear conflict and confrontation to some degree. Sometimes our heart rate quickens, and our body physically trembles. We’re quick to seek human counsel and clarify our side of the story. The truth is that we must be quicker to seek the Lord’s counsel. We ought to cast my anxiety on him, ask him to do the impossible, and thank him for his marvelous, redemptive work in our relationships. The answer is always prayer. Even when our words are merely a jumble of thoughts, letters that are no more arranged than a bag of Scrabble tiles just dumped from the bag. The key is in the beginning, “Dear Jesus.” We have the Holy Spirit to interpret even our mere groaning, making them known perfectly to our Heavenly Father who will supply our every need. That person who makes your blood boil with anger, pray. That wayward, rebellious child, who has abandoned you leaving you with dashed dreams, pray. That spouse who has turned their back on you, leaving you alone and without hope, pray. In everything let your requests be made known to Him! He will withhold no good thing from you.