The Most Famous Verse You Never Pay Attention To
It was my first day of work at a new job. I was nervous. The night before, I couldn’t stop thinking about it. What would my office be like? Would everyone still just see me as the intern? What am I going to DO?
I was worrying.
Back in college, it was the day of a big exam. I had studied and prepared, but thoughts of what could go wrong kept consuming my mind.
I was worrying.
Walking back into my apartment after a first date for the ages. There was a smile on my face. Should I have said THAT? Did she think that joke was funny?
I was happy, but I was still worrying.
I’m sure you can relate to these stories. Why? Because we all worry. It’s interesting to note, though, that one very familiar verse tells us not to do that very thing.
Huh.
The verse to which I’m referring is none other than Philippians 4:6…
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”
Do not be anxious about anything.
For years, I read that and thought, “Oh, it’s ok, God doesn’t really mean that.” But things really changed for me when I stopped to ask myself a simple question.
What if He does?
What if we take God at His Word? What if He really wants us to come to Him in our time of need? If you’re having a hard time answering those questions, let me throw out another famous verse. This one is from 1 Peter 5:7.
“Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.”
Did you notice that little word — all?
I don’t think that word was added by accident. I think God really, truly wants us to cast ALL our cares on Him. I know what you’re thinking…
Impossible.
I thought that too. I thought that for most of my life to this point. It’s really only been in the last few years that I started taking this to heart. But I can promise you one thing…
It’s not impossible.
You wanna know why I say that? Here’s another verse to answer that. This is from Jeremiah 29:13 — which comes after another verse you may have heard of.
“You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”
Seek God with everything you have. Give Him all your cares. He can handle it. No matter what it is you’re dealing with, He can handle it.
Fear of the future? Yep, not too big for God.
Leave the ground turkey out overnight? Yep, not too small for God.
The hurt of losing someone far too early? Yes, not too painful for God.
I’m not perfect at this. I never will be. And neither will you. So what are we to do, then?
Give it to God.
Oh and that first date? I’m married to that girl.
God knows what He’s doing.
So here is all I ask of you…start with one. Today — right now even — make a conscious decision that you will start with one moment when you would usually be driven to fear or worry and, instead, give it to God.
I will be praying for you.
Aaron Charles is a writer and marketing account executive from Indiana. You can connect with him on Twitter, Medium or Instagram. Aaron and his wife Sarah run a Medium publication called Cooking With Sarah that documents their weekly cooking adventures.
