“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your request to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7
That word alone, “anxiety”, can trigger a flood of reasons to be anxious! I marvel at how public speakers and teachers really enjoy speaking to a crowd. Their love for the subject and audience gives them joy in the telling. Recently, I was asked to be the keynote at a women’s 4-day conference in Israel. This is a wonderful opportunity for the aforementioned people, but for me I just panicked! And to make matters worse, I said “yes”!
I will spare you the details of the reason for my anxiety, because it doesn’t matter nearly as much as how we deal with anxiety once it encloses its vice-like grip around our hearts and minds. Paul was in prison when he wrote this letter, with many reasons to be anxious, but there he was writing a thank you letter to a beloved church and all he did was encourage this flock with the truth, love, mercy and peace that can only be found in God. You see Paul was in prison, but in many ways, he was a free man. At least he was unburdened by the shackles his audience seemed to be imprisoned by: suffering and opposition (1:27-30), conflict (2:2–3), selfish ambition and pride (2:3–8), comparison and confidence in achievements (3:4-11), fixation on earthly things (3:20). Those can all contribute to anxiety. Paul understood this and addressed it head on. Don’t be anxious, frazzled, worried, fearful, troubled, uneasy, apprehensive, tense, stressed, nervous, alarmed, insecure about anything…don’t ruminate on it, or be preoccupied by, fixed, distracted or consumed by it. Whatever it may be. Wait a minute! Everyone knows that if you say, “don’t think of the pink elephant” that is exactly what we will do! So how can we NOT think about the things that cause the worry? How can we not be anxious?
Did you notice the “but” here, things are about to turn upside as they usually do in God’s Kingdom. Are you ready to proceed? Just as there is an all-inclusive command against worry, “do not be anxious for anything”, there is an all-inclusive invitation to pray “…but in everything by prayer and petition…” that means leaving nothing out of the list of things that cause us to worry. Paul is redirecting human nature’s natural bent to cultivate our anxiety. He is giving them a new way to look at their anxiety, as an alarm clock to pray! “I worry about the difficult conversation”-(alarm = pray! “I am anxious if my child will succeed in life”-alarm = pray! Pray! Pray!! Anxieties could draw us to ceaseless prayer if we seize this opportunity!
“…with thanksgiving”: have you ever said thank you before receiving anything? Sure, you have. After ordering your meal, after talking to support who promised to resolve the issue, after sending an email request of one of your co-workers. We say “thank you”, almost sure that the matter is resolved. We even say “thank you”, when we are not so sure. But here Paul is saying with great assurance that when we bring our petitions before the Lord, He will guard our hearts and minds with his peace. This is a promise to hold! Treasured and sought after. Look at this verse: “He will keep me in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because He trusts in you.” (Isaiah 26:3 ESV). Next time anxiety sounds off its annoying ring, pray with thanksgiving, and wait for his peace to flood you.
Dinah Sered
“Trust in the Lord forever for the LORD God is an everlasting rock” (Isaiah 26:4 ESV)
Dinah Sered serves as part of the Staff Development team with Jews for Jesus. She and her husband , Dan, have been members of GRC since 2021.