Who has a verse for the year? If you don’t have one yet, it’s not too late to pick out one that you intend to meditate on all year and make it a part of your life.
My verse last year was Phil. 4:8: “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.” (Phil 4:8) I worked on it all year. Constantly. I hope I’m a different person because of it.
That’s what an annual verse is meant to do. What if each of us took one verse and really believed and practiced it? How different would we be?
I didn’t move too far from Phil 4:8 to come up with my verses for this year: Phil 4:6-7: “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” (Phil 4:6-7)
This means that my goal is to make it through a whole year and not be careful for anything… or not be anxious. But to pray about things instead—with thanksgiving, did you notice the verse says?
Ambitious, I know. I’ve thought on how I’m going to manage to do that in a year that promises to be filled with changes. I’ve decided to praise God more in song. There’s no room for anxiety when you are singing thanks and praise to God. I’ve already gotten started. For 2017, I’m reading/studying through Psalms and putting praise verses to music, so I can sing them to God. Whenever stress comes up, I want to sing. It’s an area in which I fail, and I want that to change, because God is worthy of my constant praise. What if I had 10 or more praise songs put to music and was singing all the time, and thinking about what I was singing—in effect, praying with thanksgiving? That should be an anxiety-buster, and it’s how I want to change my life this year. Who will join me in offering more sacrifices of praise to God this year?