Do you need a word of wisdom for the workplace today? I’m offering nuggets of wisdom for the workplace. In fact, you can have a set of cards here, very nicely designed, with these words of wisdom, for your own edification, or to pass along to a friend who may be in need.

Here’s my word of wisdom for today: Don’t let anxiety or fear rob you of God’s peace.

Are you feeling anxious about something today? Are you very disturbed by a situation in your life? Does it seem impossible to find any rest and peace right now? All of us have gone through and are still going through difficult times, which creates anxiety and fear. A passage in Isaiah 48 is very helpful when you are not at peace.

This is what the Lord says—your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: I am the Lord your God who teaches you what is best for you, who directs you in the way you should go. If only you had paid attention to my commands, your peace would have been like a river, your righteousness like the waves of the sea (Isaiah 48:17-18).

Anxiety and unrest are often a result of our failure to pay attention to what we know about God. Rarely do we need some new truth or principle; we just need to practice what we know already.

I find I rarely make a deliberate decision to wander from God’s principles. It’s simply a failure to pay attention to what I know already. My focus gets fractured. I move slightly off-center, simply because I haven’t paid attention like I should.

And when this happens, I lose my peace, and I’m anxious and frustrated. When you start to dig underneath those outward effects, you often discover the cause is failure to pay attention to God’s commands. It may be something that seems very small, but if we walk away from doing it God’s way, we can expect to lose the peace and rest we so need.

The Lord told his people, if only you had paid attention to my commands, your peace would have been like a river. If you’re missing peace in your life today, see if there’s some area where you’re not paying attention to God. Once you get that straightened out, that wonderful, marvelous, indescribable peace will return, like a river, flooding your heart and calming your nerves.