I was a mess. My husband, who had severe dementia, had to undergo an assessment that would determine if he was capable of making his own decisions for where he would live. I had been dreading this particular assessment. I already knew what the outcome would be, and I knew that even going through this assessment would hurt him.

I had spoken to the assessor, my care coordinator with the local home care program, the previous Thursday. She had told me she would be by the following Wednesday to do the assessment, and as each subsequent day passed, I became more and more uptight.

And then it was Wednesday morning.

A good portion of my support system knew about this situation, and many of them were contacting me with words of encouragement. One note in particular really struck me. My dear friend sent me Phil. 4:6-7: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, 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.” (NIV).

Now this wasn’t a new Bible verse to me, as I’m sure it isn’t for most of you either. In fact, it is a verse that is so familiar to me that I had it memorized. Or at least I thought I did, and I began reciting the memorized text in my mind: “Do not be anxious for anything; but in every situation, by prayer and petition, … present your requests to God.”

It didn’t make me feel much better, however. After all, I had been trying, with prayer and petition, to give this particular problem to God for several days, and the only response was that I became more and more agitated. But as I recited the familiar words once again, I could feel something wrong in my spirit. I couldn’t ignore the thought that I needed to do more than just repeat a memorized text. I needed to read it.

And so I read the words of my friend’s text.

Wait. There were extra words in her written text. Words I didn’t remember being there…

I double checked the Bible text on my phone, and sure enough, there, crammed between “by prayer and petition” and “present your requests to God” were two words I hadn’t realized were in the verse … “With thanksgiving!”

Wait. How had I overlooked those two words? Was this what was missing?

And so I began to thank God. I thanked Him for the promise of my husband’s healing. I thanked Him for His daily help. I praised Him for how He had kept me safe throughout all of the trials. I thanked Him for such a wonderful support network. I praised Him that I never felt alone. And I kept on for probably 10-15 minutes, just giving God praise for every part of my current situation.

The result?

For the first time in days, I began to feel that peace of God, that peace that transcends all understanding, overtaking my being.

The story could end there with a wonderful lesson on the power of praise. But it didn’t.

You see, the time came for that worker to come in and assess my husband, but she never showed up. An hour later, I called the office to learn that the worker had put it on her schedule for the following Wednesday!

I should have been panicking at this point. That would have been my normal pattern. Instead, I could feel God’s peace continuing to guard my heart and my mind in Christ Jesus!

And then, when the following Wednesday arrived and a different person came to the door because my case worker had gone out on unexpected leave, I was again overwhelmed with peace. Somehow having a different worker would work out in the end.

Later, she urged me to sign papers to put him on the waiting list for long term care. Again, God’s peace filled me to the brim.

A few days later, yet another worker called to say that a behavioral assessment needed to be completed. At the end of this assessment, I was told that my husband qualified for crisis placement… Wow. I had been living with this for months, and God had protected me! Even though I really didn’t want to have my husband placed, I could feel God’s peace overwhelming me, carrying me through, guarding my heart and mind in Christ Jesus. All because of those two words: With thanksgiving!

It makes sense, really. When we meditate with thanksgiving on all that the Lord has done, it makes us remember that He is in charge of the unknown outcomes as well!

What situation do you find yourself in that’s robbing you of your peace? Remember: It isn’t enough to just give it to God with prayer and petition. That isn’t all there is to the formula for receiving that peace that passes understanding, that peace that will guard your heart and mind in Christ Jesus. Add in the “with thanksgiving” piece, and you will find that God’s peace truly does come over you. And not only that, but it stays with you as well! Even when the waters get turbulent again!

“Praise the LORD. Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever.” (Psalms 106:1 NIV)

In His love,
Lyn


Lynona Gordon Chaffart
Author, Moderator, Acting Director, Answers2Prayer Ministries