Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God, and the peace of God which passes all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7
When God’s plan allows problems and difficulties into our life it is not because he is disappointed with us or punishing us, it is to teach us to pray. It is so that we can learn that in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. When God gives us less than we desire it is not to lead us into anxiety or to teach us about poverty, but it is about teaching us to pray and to give thanks.
What does your anxiety do?
“It does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow, but it does empty today of its strength. It does not make you escape the evil; it makes you unfit to cope with it when it comes. God gives us the power to bear all the sorrow of His making, but He does not guarantee to give us strength to bear the burdens of our own making such as worry induces.” Ian Maclaren
God says be anxious for nothing. - God’s word is clear there is no room for anxiety. Our anxiety is pulling us apart and strangling us. Jesus tells us that our anxiety is actually chocking out God’s word and making us unfruitful.
Prayer is the Remedy for Anxiety - We are to do everything by prayer. We are told to worry about nothing but in contrast to take everything to God. Prayer in its broadest meaning is communication with God. Supplication is the sincere sharing of personal needs and problems. Supplication means to make an appeal, petition or request. Requests speak of specific requests rather than vague generalities and it is plural suggesting multiple requests.
Let your requests be made known to God. “You are to pray, making your requests known to God. In plain English this means to say what you want, for this is true prayer. Get alone and tell the Lord what you want, pouring out your heard before Him. Do not imagine that God requires any fine religious language. Pray for what you want in the same words you tell your mother or your dearest friend what your need is. Go to God in that manner, for that is the real prayer, and prayer will drive away your care.” - Spurgeon
Prayer moves you from anxiety to peace. - Where you abide is where you see the fruit. “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. (7) If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.” John 15: 5,7 We live in a day and time where people abide in anxiety, complaining and a constant state of stress. God did not make you abide in anxiety. He is calling you to abide in Him and the fruit of that will be peace and answered prayer.
Thanksgiving is the language of heaven. Anxiety is the language of hell. - Thanksgiving is the recognition that God has answered our prayers and supplications in the past and that we can enter into our prayers with assurance and confidence, and most of all gratitude. Anxiety causes us to focus on the future and it diminishes our ability to enjoy the present. Thanksgiving allows you to focus on the past with joy, and it allows that joy to be experienced in the present. Psalm 100, “Enter into His gates with thanskgiving and His courts with praise.” The moment we begin to thank God, we actually begin to enter into His presence. when we begin to practice thanksgiving we begin to ascend spiritually into the presence of God.
The peace that passes all understanding will guard your heart and mind in Christ Jesus. - Peace achieves more than our cleverness or our wisdom. His peace transcends our planning, human thought, and surpasses all of our schemes. We do not get to peace by having though through every detail and made provision for every possible outcome. WE get to peace by letting our requests be made known to God. Peace transcends understanding. The like that we believe is that if we think of every possible detail and plan for every possible outcome we can find peace and avoid negative outcomes. Peace is to be our guard. The word guard means here a garrison, or a military post. God’s promise is that His peace will guard or heart and our mind. His peace is available for our thoughts and our emotions.
The Greek word for “Anxious”
The Greek word for anxious in Philippians 4:6 means pulled in different directions or pulled apart.
The English root word from which we get our word “worry” means to strangle . Jesus tells us in Mark 4:19, “The worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and coke the word making it unfruitful.” Worry is choking out God’s word, pulling it apart and making us unfruitful.