Recently, I went outside early to feed the birds without realizing that the door had locked behind me. It was a chilly autumn morning, and I was dressed in a thin sweater and slippers. Cold and panic rushed in as I rapped hard on the door several times, without response. I could hear my husband’s radio on the other end of the house turned up loudly. Shivering, I shuffled to his window and shouted to him. What a relief I felt as the garage door groaned open, revealing the robed form of my spouse. “Honey,” he asked, “why were you so anxious? Did you forget about the hidden key?”


Yes, I had forgotten. And it wasn’t the only time!


I confess that when I’m anxious, I often forget about God’s hidden key – prayer! It’s not always my first response to an unsettling event. “Worrying in God’s general direction” is not the same as praying. But when we do pray with thanksgiving, Paul promises us, “the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:7).