Phil 4:6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
There are a number of lessons contained in these two short verses. If you are like me, I read a passage like this and begin thinking of other passages that teach parallel lessons, or amplify the thoughts of this passage. Worry, or not to worry, that is the question. Paul says, “Don’t worry”. Do we accomplish this? Probably not as well as we should. We all “worry” from time-to-time about various things; children, health issues, work, etc. The problem is that we worry about things over which we have no control. A good example of this is the recent election. Many are wringing their hand, losing sleep, and protesting the results based on some concerns about what they think will happen over the next four years. At the same time, many are excited about the results and looking forward to good things for the country. The point is, neither side knows what will happen over the next four years, and furthermore, all of the agonizing or rejoicing will have little, if any, impact on the outcome. Paul is telling us not to be anxious about the things over which we have no control. There is a passage in Psalm 118:24 that I believe illustrates this principle; this is the day the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it. I tend to think that the psalmist did not know how the day would end, but because it was the day the Lord has made, he was going to rejoice and be glad in it. He was not going to worry about things over which he had no control; things which might or might not happen. Each day the sun comes up is the day the Lord has made. Instead of fretting about what might or might not happen, we need to enjoy the fact that God has granted us another day of life on this earth, that he has provided all things that pertain to life and godliness (Matthew 6:33-34; 2 Peter 1:3), and has blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ (Ephesians 1:3). The Psalmist was just glad to be alive; we should rejoice in the fact that God has granted us life. Paul not only tells us what not to do, but gives us instruction about how to accomplish his instructions to be anxious for nothing. The solution is to recognize the sovereignty of God and His control over all of His creation. As Christians, we have the privilege of coming boldly to the throne of grace in prayer to present our concerns and petitions before Him (Hebrews 4:16). By doing this, we can find mercy and grace to help in time of need that will help us overcome our tendency to worry about things over which we have no control. There is a key to successful prayers and supplications. The key is that they are offered to God with thanksgiving. Are we as grateful to God as we should be for all of the things He does for us? Paul gives the solution to the problem of worry but reminds us of our responsibility to always be mindful of all God does for us, and be thankful. The problem is worry and the solution is to utilize the avenue of prayer that has been made available to us to get us through good times and tough times, always thankful for God’s blessings. As Paul Harvey would say, “And now the rest of the story”. The rest of the story is that our prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving results in the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, guarding our hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. We live in a world where we have little control over the things that go on around us. It is comforting that in spite of the things we cannot control, we can have peace and safety in God, knowing that He loves and cares for us. No one knows what tomorrow will bring. James points out that our life is a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away (James 4:14). We can make plans for tomorrow, next week, next year, but the reality is that we do not know what tomorrow will bring and we have little or no control over what happens. Be anxious for nothing is not something that comes naturally, or is easy to achieve. But the point of Paul’s instruction to the Philippians is that we can develop that ability. Paul says he had learned to be content (Philippians 4:11); we can learn to be anxious for nothing. Kerry Arnold |
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