Philippians 4:6-7
Thoughts from Pastor Josh
Dive Deeper
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and pleading with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”
Philippians 4:6-7
Behind the Scenes
In the current state of the world, there are so many things to be anxious about, and peace feels hard to hold on to. So, when I read passages like the one above, I can’t help but tune my ears to them. “The peace that surpasses all comprehension” sounds really good about now. I know the world could use a lot more of that. But how do we get there?
I love the promise of this passage. It’s as if God is whispering to my heart, “peace isn’t so far off, my child. I’m right here! Come to me!” The hope that is woven into this passage is beautiful. So, let’s take a closer look to discover the treasure!
There are some really big words used in this passage. “Nothing”, “everything”, “all” … when we see words like this, words that have totality, we need to pay attention. These words mean something profound, but we often glaze over them or minimize them. We often miss the deeper meaning of why they are there.
When it says to “be anxious for nothing”, it literally means nothing. It does not say “be anxious for only the big things” nor does it say, “be anxious for some things”. It says “be anxious for nothing” … nothing. That’s a big word! I don’t know about you, but I find it incredibly difficult to “be anxious for nothing”. I may want to be anxious for nothing, but how do I make my heart and mind obey that command?
The answer is in the passage. The way that we achieve this is by taking everything to God in prayer. Everything- that’s another one of those big words that reveals part of this promise. It means everything! Not just some things, not most things, not just the comfortable things, or the big things… EVERYTHING!
Make it Real
This challenges me for a few reasons. First, somewhere along the line I believed the lie that some things were just too small to take to God. That there were just some things I should be able to handle for myself and not “bother” God with them. I’ve believed the lie that He gets annoyed with me. Have you ever thought that? But the truth is, God wants to hear from you, be with you, and help you in everything. There is nothing too small or insignificant that He doesn’t want to hear about because He loves you. He isn’t annoyed, He longs to be in a deep, intimate, close relationship with you. He longs to be so alive in your life that you can’t help but bring Him into every detail.
The second reason this passage is hard for me is my own pride. Another lie that I’ve believed along the way is that turning to God makes me weak. I’ve believed the lie that I should have the answers I need; that I don’t need God. But that is SO not true! The more I grow in my faith, the more I realize my immense need for Jesus more every day!
So, the recipe for us to be able to “be anxious for nothing” lies in taking everything to Jesus. It means total surrender. This is so important for us to get. The more we are dependent on and plugged into Christ, the less anxious we are! Did you catch that? Let me say it again another way: You cannot be anxious and be fully dependent on God- the two things cannot exist together. God will never tell us to do something that we cannot do in His power. So, when He says to “not be anxious for anything,” He will give us everything we need to accomplish that, in His name and through His power.
Guys, that’s powerful! When we learn to be 100% reliant on the Peace of God rather than the peace of man, our anxiety flees! It’s like turning on a light in our hearts and minds- it chases away the darkness! What an amazing truth!!! The peace of God overcomes!
The final piece of this recipe is thankfulness. Did you catch that part? For a long time, I skipped over that, not really seeing it as a vital part of this passage. But one day it leapt off the page at me. “With thanksgiving” … How often do I take my requests to the Lord and thanksgiving is nowhere to be found!
I think we struggle with this because we don’t understand that the biblical idea of thanksgiving is not just a feeling- it’s a choice. When we come to the Lord with our requests, with our pains, with our struggles, we can either come complaining or thankful. We get to choose. If we are always waiting to feel thankful, we will very rarely actually be thankful.
But when we decide to be thankful, the feeling follows. It’s just another one of those “backward kingdom” kind of things that don’t always make sense. But if we will embrace the idea of choosing thankfulness, we will start to see not only will we start feeling thankful, but the peace of God will start to flood our souls!
Crystal Garnett
ACF Digital Discipleship Team Lead
End in Prayer
Hey God! I just want to take a minute to just sit with You. I want to say thank You for all You are and all You do. Lord, teach me to rely on You alone. Teach me what it looks like to bring everything to you and pray about all things. Teach me to be thankful in all things, even when I don’t feel it. Thank You for always being so patient with me! I love you, Jesus!
In the name of Christ,
Amen