DEVOTION – DAY 343

Philippians 4:6-7 “Do Not Be Anxious”

Philippians 4:6-7 “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

Many people when they are faced with a problem, issue or difficulty, will worry and be stressed. But the apostle Paul tells us, “Do not be anxious.” Instead, Paul tells us to pray and give thanks to God in every situation we face. Paul tells us to surrender every problem or difficulty to God because Christians believe and trust that God’s care and love for His people goes beyond our human understanding. God will be by our side as He sees us through every situation. Instead of worry and anxiety, we will experience peace. This is because Christians can believe that God is like a guard that stand sentry over their hearts and minds through every difficult situation.

George Muller had spent his adult life living by these verses. He was born in Germany in 1805, but he spent most of his life in Bristol, where he died in 1898. He was one of the founders of the Plymouth Brethren movement and he was a well-known Christian evangelist and committed to serving the Lord.

In 1836, he rented a house in Bristol to house and care for 30 orphan girls. He went on to rent several other houses along the same street over the next few years as his orphanage expanded to house boys and infants. His neighbors complained about the noise and some years later, he prayed for a plot of land to build a proper building to house his orphans under one roof. God provided him with a plot of land in Ashley Downs, Bristol in the 1840’s. He prayed for funds and God provided him with what he needed to build one large orphanage. This eventually expanded to 5 separate large buildings that could house hundreds of orphans. In his lifetime, George Muller cared for 10,024 orphans. He also found time to preach regularly at the Bethesda Chapel. He also founded Scriptural Knowledge Institution for Home and Abroad, an organization that gave out almost 300,000 Bibles, 1.5million New Testaments, and 250,000 Christian tracts translated into 24 languages. He also generously supported missionaries. George Muller was able to do that without soliciting for funds from anyone. He never had support from the government for His work. He committed every need to God, started every day with prayer and God provided the equivalent of Sterling Pounds 113 million in today’s money terms. George Muller trusted in God’s gracious provision. God just moved the hearts of donors to give to his many ministries.

Let us pray: Heavenly Father, Thank you for watching over us, helping us through every difficult situation. Thank you for giving us your peace in exchange for our worries as we surrender them to you in prayer. Help us to trust in you always. In the wonderful name of the Lord Jesus Christ, we pray. Amen.

Questions

1. What situation are you worried or stressed about? Share.
2. Will you trust and believe that God will see you through this situation and have you surrender the situation to Him in prayer?
3. How has God replaced your anxiety with His peace in the past? What are some examples of His gracious provision for you in the past? Please share them to encourage others.