Philippians 4:6 ‘be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your request be made known to God’.–
DAILY READING; John 18:38-19:16; 2 Chronicles 29; Psalm 85
In December 2019, in the city of Wuhan, China, unusual cases of patients with pneumonia caused by the new Coronavirus (COVID-19) were reported, and the spread of the virus swiftly became a global health threat
Today, medical researches show that the COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on public mental health.
As the world nears the third year of the COVID-19 pandemic, there is a noticeable increase in the global burden of depressive and anxiety disorders which has impacted the mental health of many people worldwide.
According to the new medical analysis, the COVID-19 pandemic led to a stark rise in depressive and anxiety disorders globally in 2020. The overall number of cases of mental disorders rose dramatically, with an additional 53.2 million and 76.2 million cases of anxiety and major depressive disorders, respectively.
Apart from the pandemic, worsening global situations in many countries is sending people into a frenzy of worry.
According to a recent report by the World Health Organization, anxiety disorders are on the increase globally.
Indeed the world is entering a new age where Anxiety disorders have become the most common mental illness. As insecurity, economic crisis, and other global conditions worsen, fretting in the general population continues to be on the rise.
However, for us as believers, the Bible tells us in Philippians 4:6 ‘be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your request be made known to God’.
God’s will is for us to focus on prayer and thanksgiving instead of worrying about global conditions.
In Luke 12:25 Jesus said, “Which of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?”! Then, in the following verse 26, Jesus pointed something else out: He said “Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?”
Indeed worry never solves any problem, Psychologists tell us that roughly 40 percent of what we worry about will never happen and 30 percent has already happened. Additionally, 12 percent of worries are over unfounded health concerns. Another 10 percent of worries involve the daily miscellaneous fretting that accomplishes nothing. That leaves only 8 percent. In other words, people are worrying 92 percent of the time for no good reason,
Worry has been described as interest paid on trouble before it comes due. Worry is like a rocking chair; requiring a lot of energy, and yet it gets you nowhere.
Instead of worrying, we have to trust that God is in control of our lives. We look to Him in every situation knowing that He will definitely work things out to our favor.
Habakkuk 3:17-19 says ‘Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls: Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation. The Lord God is my strength, and he will make my feet like hinds’ feet, and he will make me to walk upon mine high places’
We maintain a joyful attitude in the face of any challenge, because we trust God is in control of our lives.
Jesus put it plainly, “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in Me.”
Indeed when we believe in God and trust in Him then our hearts will not be troubled, rather we will be full of praise, knowing that God is at work in us both to will and to do of His good pleasure. Truly, His grace is sufficient for us and by His mercies, we will always triumph over life’s trials.
PRAYER: Lord, I trust you are in control of my life, and I know that even right now you are working out everything for my good in Jesus Name. .
QUOTE;
When God places His hand upon a man in life nothing can come against him, this is because the gifts and calling of God are without repentance. WORDBITE 222