Joy and Peace are Possible

eDevotion

Encouragement for your daily walk with God 

Here’s what I think: Gratitude and a worry-free life are inseparably connected. 

When the Apostle Paul wrote the Philippian Christ followers and said, "Do not be anxious about anything…”, he was in prison and didn’t know if he would be liberated or executed. Adding to that he said, “… in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” 

Gratitude, or thanksgiving, is a formidable weapon for overcoming worry. It has been my observation that grateful people always find joy and peace at hand. 

Dr. Brene Brown, who holds the Huffington Foundation — Brene Brown Endowed Chair at The Graduate College of Social Work, has said: “I made a commitment to never talk about joy for the rest of my career without talking about gratitude. Because in 12 years of research, I have never interviewed a single person with the capacity to really experience joy who does not also actively practice gratitude.”

Encouragement to be grateful and thankful fills the Psalms.

Psalm 7 - I will give to the Lord, the thanks due to His righteousness.

Psalm 9 - I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart.

Psalm 28 - The Lord is my strength and my shield; in Him my heart trusts, and I am helped; my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to Him.

Psalm 30 - Sing praises to the Lord, O you His saints, and give thanks to His holy name.

In one way or another, you’ll find similar statements about gratitude and thanksgiving in Psalm 33, 44, 54, 57, 75, 79, 86, 92, 97, 100, 105, 106, 107, 108, 109, 111, 118, 122, 136!

Take time to read these Psalms. You’ll find that a grateful heart is a peaceful heart. When you thank God and praise Him, worry and fear melt away. Impossible, you say? Well, if God commanded us to not to worry about anything, it must be possible!

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. Philippians 4:6–7