December 14: God of Peace

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
Philippians 4:6 (NIV)

I lay in a fetal position upon the ground, muscles torpid and immobile. Agony and adrenaline burned throughout my body like a raging fire as I struggled to maintain consciousness against the violent sea of anxiety that threatened to drown me where I lay. Mind, body, and soul shrieked in anguish as I strove to control my rapid breaths. A single desperate cry broke free from my paralyzed mind. God, thank you for my struggles and allowing me to see I need You. Please, get me out.

Throughout the last fourteen years of my life, God never removed anxiety and depression; in fact, my struggle becomes more intense as time passes. However, even when I held a blade poised against my throat, begging God for a reason not to spill my own blood, He never left me.

Jesus did not only come to step into our strengths on Christmas, He came to step into our weaknesses, into our anxieties, and into our faults. Our God weeps by our side, and through our desperate cries, gives peace that transcends all understanding. Oh, how our lives would change if we simply and thankfully brought every struggle and prayer before our loving God.

God, help me to be thankful in my struggles and to bring my brokenness to You.

Nathaniel Stagg