Lord, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change…
We’ve all heard the Serenity Prayer before. I knew it so well that it became my mantra during the storm of my life. I was wrecked with daily anxiety. My heart was broken. My children devastated. My husband hurt and angry. Crying and medication were part of my daily routine.
We would be filing for divorce. Then the panic attacks hit and the emergency room was the logical next step. They gave me more medication but nothing changed until…
I got in the car with my cousin and we headed out of the city. We went to visit another cousin.
Day one of this trip we watched an episode of Joyce Meyer and it was as if she stepped into the kitchen, pulled up a stool next to me, looked me in the eye and said, “Diana, your prayers are all wrong!”
I was asking God to change everyone and everything around me. I asked Him to change my husband. I asked Him to change my circumstances. I never considered I NEEDED TO CHANGE; it was a revelation like nothing I had experienced before.
Believing what she said, believing He could and would do something new in me in the midst of my storm was a real challenge, a game changer:
6 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. 7 Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.Philippians 4:6-7
HOW?
- stop worrying (yes, you heard me, you can stop worrying, it doesn’t benefit us in any way to worry). Instead, choose to keep your eyes on Him and IN The Word. Let His promises saturate your heart and mind +
- start praying (talk to Him, tell Him what you’re feeling, don’t keep it bottled up, make your requests known to Him and leave them at His feet) +
- change your mind and thank Him (activate your faith see Romans 10:17) = THEN YOU WILL EXPERIENCE GOD’s PERFECT PEACE
My time is up but I have to tell you, He calmed the storm in the sea and calmed the storm in my heart and mind. I have peace and joy unspeakable. It is a choice I have made. Not because my life is perfect and not even because we didn’t divorce.
Don’t believe me? If you’re struggling with emotional anxiety please read these verses for yourself and Him encourage you: Psalm 107:29, Luke 8:24 and Psalm 46:10.