If...A Small Word with a Huge Impact

I was fretting about something the other day when a portion of a Bible verse popped into my mind:

"And the peace that passes understanding will guard your heart and mind..."

Now, mind you, that is a paraphrase. So, I did a search for the actual verse and read the entire paragraph for context. This is what I found:

Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. If you do this, you will experience God's peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6-7, NLT)

Hmmmm.

In the midst of my worrying and obsessing and longing for peace, I found that God doesn't simply grant it to me like a genie with a wand. There are a few things I have to do to experience this peace.

1. Don't worry about anything.

Yikes! But you don't understand, God. I was born into a family of worriers. It's genetic!

Unfortunately for me, it does not say, "don't worry about anything unless you have a genetic predisposition to do so." Not at all. Simply and firmly, I am admonished, "Don't do it."

2. ...instead, pray about everything.

Those four simple words mean that I need to exchange worry for prayer. Put my energy into something other than nail biting and thinking of the what-ifs.

Oh, I pray. I've been praying. And I will pray some more. But there is one little word there that I missed: instea". No praying while I am worrying. Prayer instead of worry.Okay. Soldiering on...

3. Tell God what you need.

So I can tell God my concerns, my needs. That is awesome. He wants to know! I like that part.

Psalm 55:1-2 says, "Listen to my prayer, O God. Do not ignore my cry for help! Please listen and answer me, for I am overwhelmed by my troubles." I can call out to Him, anytime, anywhere.

4. ...thank him for all he has done.

I was immediately reminded of several Old Testament passages and David's psalms that so often proclaim and seem to actually remind God of what He had done for them as they petitioned Him for their needs.

And it is then, and only then, that we find these words: "If you do this, you will experience God's peace".

Wow.

There it is. That two-letter word. If.

If I do all those things, then...

If. Such a small word. Such a huge impact.

If. Encompassing not "can I", but rather "will I".

If.

That peace that so eludes me at times? It would seem I have some work to do.