subject: Oh, What A Health and Beauty Morning [print this page] Oh, What A Health and Beauty Morning Oh, What A Health and Beauty Morning
Oh, What A Health and Beauty Morning
One upon a time, a fisherman who had no time or interest in anything related to God, was at sea. He was working hard reeling in the nets when a huge storm came up that threatened to sink the small boat.
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The wind was horrendous. In all his travels he'd never seen the weather so tumultuouswaves were sweeping over the boat, and fear was real enough to cause him to seek Divine assistance.
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"O God, I haven't asked anything of you in fifteen years and if you bring me safely to land, I promise I won't bother you again for another fifteen!"
We may smile, but his bargaining with God should be a sobering reminder of how often we use prayer as an escape mechanism rather than a way of life. Too many times we treat prayer as a transaction and not an opportunity to nurture our relationship with God.
Even though everything in our culture screams at us to be consumers, we should never treat prayer as a retail deal.
Philippians 4:4-7 - NIV
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Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, 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.When we apply the truths of God's Word revealed in the above passage from Philippians, we'll be compelled to cultivate an Oh, What A Beautiful Morning attitude.
However, when we don't seriously engage God's Word in action, then we will embody one of those other song titles in the poll. Let's consider again Paul's words: Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!
By way of reminder: When Paul of Tarsus advocated an Oh, What A Beautiful Morning attitude, he was a prisoner of the Roman empire. He had many reasons to be full of angst and restlessness. Yet his experiences had repeatedly proven to him that rejoicing and gratitude were the only healthy way to approach life.
To diminish or trash rejoicing and gratitude means to be anxious of one thing or another, and that anxiousness will rapidly become anxiety.
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Anxiety breeds fear to take action; anxiety breeds cowardice to deal with difficult situations; anxiety breeds withdrawal from daily life; anxiety breeds depression, discouragement, distrust, and unbelief; anxiety breeds a defeatist attitude.
Anxiety gives birth to all of that and much more, yet anxiety is so unnecessary because it comes as a result of an improper evaluation of our situation. Too often we classify problems as situations in which we anticipate nail-biting, when in fact we should view them as opportunities to see God at work in our lives.
The simple fact is that there are times when we insist on carrying our difficulties in isolation. We refuse to share our problems with other members of our familyeven more tragic we don't hand them over to God.
When we choose to backpack our troubles is it any wonder why we are so overwhelmed by the stronghold of anxiety?
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Holding onto anxiety does not eliminate tomorrow's sorrowholding onto anxiety does empty today of its strength. The reward for becoming glued to anxiety is an increase in anxiety.
