However, pretending we’re in control doesn’t actually change the situation. It only makes us more crazy! When we are finally able to admit that we are not in control of the situation and its outcome, we’ve already made significant strides to allowing peace to fill our hearts!
2. Surrender the situation and its outcome to the Lord. While your situation and its outcome may lie in the hands of your boss, husband, doctor or someone else here on earth, the one who is really in control is the Lord.
Psalm 37:23 says that the Lord orders the steps of the godly. In fact, Psalm 16 says that even when we plan our course, He is still directing our steps. So in reality, we are never really in control.
The best thing we can do is lay the situation at the feet of Jesus and let Him take over. We’re not in control. Even when we think we’re in control, we’re not. So lay it down at the feet of the One who is always in control and let Him handle it.
3. Train your heart to stay at peace. This takes time and discipline to do. Our hearts are prone to worry, but worry is a sin. The Bible repeatedly tells us not to worry, even about the little things. In fact, there are 365 verses that tell us not to fear; one for every day of the year.
Learning to live with a heart at peace despite our circumstances is a discipline that must be built in our hearts. It takes time and determination.
Peace is a fruit of the Spirit, after all. And fruit takes time and care to grow.
As you do steps one and two, speak to your heart and tell your heart to remain at peace in the Lord. David did this throughout the Psalms when he said, “Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; For I shall yet praise Him, The help of my countenance and my God.”
4. Worship. Worship is a powerful tool. Music alone is a powerful way to influence our emotions, but when we pair it up with words of praise and worship to God, the enemy doesn’t stand a chance!
Put on a CD, or just begin to sing your favorite worship song. Think about the words and sing them to the Lord with intention, and then watch as your heart begins to turn around.
You may say, “But I’ve tried this and my heart is still anxious!”
If there is one thing I’ve learned, it is this: “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.”
Training our hearts to remain at peace despite our circumstances takes diligence. These four steps are not a magic recipe. You can’t just give it a try one time and expect instant results, anymore than you can plant a new tree and expect to have fruit on it by fall.
Discipleship isn’t a microwavable meal. It’s a lifestyle that takes determination, diligence and discipline as we train our hearts to come under the discipline and direction of the Holy Spirit.
Dear friends, I hope that this series has been helpful for you. I don’t think it is a coincidence whatsoever that right in the middle of this series, I was hit with a medical situation over which I had no control. I had moments when I was stressed out and anxious, and I have had to go back and revisit each post and remind myself of the lessons I learned in order to adequately cope with decisions over which I had no influence. And I feel like the message of this series on stress has only deepened within me.
May we all learn these lessons well: how to order our lives so that we can live in the abundant joy and peace of the Lord, understand our calling so that we are free to fulfill our destiny and discipline our hearts so that we are able to live at peace even in the midst of life’s storms.
Rosilind Jukic, a Pacific Northwest native, is a missionary living in Croatia and married to her Bosnian hero. Together they live with their two active boys where she enjoys fruity candles, good coffee and a hot cup of herbal tea on a blustery fall evening. Her passion for writing led her to author her best-selling book The Missional Handbook. At A Little R & R she encourages women to find contentment in what God created them to be. You can also find her at Missional Call where she shares her passion for local and global missions. She can also be found at on a regular basis. You can follow her on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Google +
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