Many conversations I’ve had over the last couple of years center around the loss of control we have all felt. And I get it. I love control. I love to make decisions, and I feel comfortable when I know what is going on. But the older I get, the more I realize how little control I have in life.
What is control? According to the dictionary: Control is the power to influence or direct people’s behavior or the course of events.
I can’t make Katie do anything. I can’t make my kids do what I want. I can’t control my parents, friends, people in my church, or the economy. I can guide things in my life, but I can’t “make them.”
Very little in my world falls into my control. Very little in your world falls under your control.
This realization can create a lot of fear, or I can step into it and see what God has in it.
This past Sunday, I preached through Philippians 4:4 – 8, which says:
Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your graciousness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Finally brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable—if there is any moral excellence and if there is anything praiseworthy—dwell on these things.
Max Lucado, in his book, Anxious for Nothing: Finding Calm in a Chaotic World, lays out a helpful acronym from this passage:
In Philippians 4:4, we celebrate God’s goodness by rejoicing in the Lord always.
When we celebrate, we look back. We remember what God has done, who God is.
When we celebrate a person, we celebrate who they are. We celebrate the closeness with that person. We don’t invite random strangers to our birthday parties; we celebrate intimacy.
In verse 6, We ask God for help by bringing all our requests to God.
We ask God for help.
We bring all requests to God.
Just like a child asks a parent anything. They ask for every cereal at the store. They ask for ice cream for dinner.
We need to pray that way.
Paul Miller said, “Prayer is bringing our helplessness to God.”
In verse 6, Then we leave our concerns with him.
One of the main times for me to pray and bring requests to God is at night when it is quiet, and my mind is racing. Then, when I’m done, I say something like, “Now, God, help me to leave these to you.”
This is the struggle of prayer and faith, but it is the step of releasing control to God, so we experience his calm.
Then in verse 8, we meditate on good things.
Think, concentrate, direct your thoughts and attention to the things that are of God.
God promises he will keep us in perfect peace when we fix our minds on him.
Why is meditating, thinking, dwelling so important? Because what consumes our minds controls our lives. What we think about, we become. What we focus on dominates our minds, hearts, and bodies.
That’s why we need to meditate on Scripture, on God, focusing on his ways, to experience his peace and calm.
This spells CALM.
Celebrate
Ask
Leave
Meditate
When we release control to God, we experience His calm.
