3:45 AM. That’s when I first heard my husband stirring, and despite my attempts, I could not fall back asleep. I grabbed my phone and began sifting through the news once again. News that in these past few days has struck fear in my heart. Fear for those I love deeply and fear of what the future might bring. As anxiety began to take hold, I was reminded of  the words of Paul found in Philippians. He said,

 “Keep your gentle nature so that all people will know what it looks like to walk in His footsteps. The Lord is ever present with us. Don’t be anxious about things; instead, pray. Pray about everything. He longs to hear your requests, so talk to God about your needs and be thankful for what has come. And know that the peace of God (a peace that is beyond any and all of our human understanding) will stand watch over your hearts and minds in Jesus, the Anointed One. Finally, brothers and sisters, fill your minds with beauty and truth. Meditate on whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is good, whatever is virtuous and praiseworthy. Keep to the script: whatever you learned and received and heard and saw in me—do it—and the God of peace will walk with you.” Philippians 4:5-9 (VOICE)

A couple of things stood out to me from these verses. The first is that we are told to keep our gentle nature so that others will know “what it looks like to walk in His footsteps.” Gentleness. I typically view it as showing tenderness or kindness towards others, however, there is more to it than that. In the Greek, gentleness is defined as calmness towards God. It’s completely surrendering to God’s will and way in my life, and trusting that He is in control regardless of what my circumstances may be. It’s letting go of any anxiety I may feel and placing it in His hands. As fear grips my heart, have I surrendered it to Him? Have I been an example of gentleness to those around me?

Secondly, His peace will “stand watch over” my heart and mind. Peace is a gift that only Christ can give. It’s not dependent on circumstances. It’s found by surrendering my thoughts, my control, and my life to Him. It’s trusting that He is working in my life even when I can’t see His hand clearly. As fear grips my heart, am I trusting that He has control?

Be reminded that regardless of what we face, God promises that He will always be there. Always. When fear tries to consume your heart, take a deep breath and remember that God’s got this. You can trust Him.