If We Make It Through December!
Introduction:
I remember when I was a teenager, I was listening to the radio, and hearing a song recorded by Merle Haggard, entitled: "If We Make It Through December."
I thought then, and even today, how true that song is, as it speaks of a man who was struggling to make ends meet for him and his family. If he and his family could make it through December, he felt things would be better in the new year.
Maybe, at this time of year, you feel the same way.
"December can be a difficult month for many people due to a combination of factors including increased stress from holiday planning, financial pressures, family dynamics, end-of-year work deadlines, shorter daylight hours, and the tendency to compare one's own experiences to idealized holiday portrayals, which can lead to feelings of loneliness or isolation, especially if experiencing loss or difficult family situations."
(mentalhealthmatch.com)
"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God." (Philippians 4:6)
Why is is that no matter what the circumstances are, and no matter what month it is, the apostle Paul says that "we should not be anxious about anything?"
How can we do this? How can we totally free ourselves from the worry and anxiety of the challenges of this life? The apostle Paul came to know, as we should come to know, the Savior, Jesus Christ. And that in Him, we can find peace in the midst of trials. We can be assured that the Lord Jesus' presence and.providence in our lives, will see us through. "But in everything by prayer and supplication, with Thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God." In essence Paul was saying, "give all of your troubles and anxiety over to the Lord, and be thankful for the fact that you can do this. We don't ever need to carry our burdens alone. Please read Matthew 11:28-30)
Perhaps you’ve participated in an experiment where you were given a phrase like “red car” and then were asked to put it out of your mind. But the harder you tried, the more the “red car” dominated your thoughts. This kind of exercise shows that we can never forget something by concentrating on it. Anxious thoughts, our natural response to the cares of life, are like that. Many of us spend sleepless nights trying to solve complex problems, and all we accomplish is fixing them more firmly in our minds.
The Bible says that instead of being weighed down by our concerns, we should give them to God. The apostle Peter put it this way: “[Cast] all your care upon Him, for He cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7). And in Philippians 4:6 (Our text)
(Our Daily Bread - Forget Worry - 2/1/2002)
Yes, we can make it through December, with its troubles and anxieties. We can make it through anything, as long as we abide in the love and care of our Lord Jesus Christ.
"No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 8:38-39) GP