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 surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
— Paul, The Apostle
Philippians 4:6-7 NKJV
Divided Against Yourself
It’s easy to be anxious these days.
As my mind wanders, it easily finds cares to trouble me. Will I be next to get COVID? When will I find a job? How much longer before my savings account dries up? Maybe the questions that surround you are different. Will I keep my job? How can I keep myself and/or my family safe from COVID? Where will my next meal come from? How many customers will I have this week? Sometimes, our anxiety is not as overt as finding a job or getting sick. Sometimes, anxiety can be as small as “will that package make it on time for Christmas?” or “I really hope so and so likes the gift”. No matter who you are, I think we can all agree that we don’t have to go searching for anxiety. It has a way of always creeping in. It seems as if worry and anxiety are ingrained in this human experience, even within our human nature, but why?
Anxiety is destructive when left unchecked. “Anxious” in the verse above is the ancient Greek word: merimnáō (lol, I cannot pronounce it either). The literal meaning the ancient Greeks attached to this word was: to be divided, drawn in opposite directions1. How many times have you been believing for something good to happen only to be pulled away from your belief because of a worry that popped into your mind? Anxiety only has one purpose. It is meant to divide. Anxiety seeks to divide us from peace, from joy, from reason, from focus, from others, from beliefs, from your purpose, from your passion, and from God. Wise are the words of this apostle who cautions us to be anxious for nothing. The apostle Paul does not want us to be divided. Thankfully, he also tells us what to do instead and how to do it.
Release
“Let your requests be made known to God”.
I find that instruction to be interesting. God is all-knowing. He all ready knows what my requests are. Why verbalize them then? Honestly, I struggle with this. I think that if I am not dealing with something big (i.e. a devastating illness, having no money, or coping with losing a loved one) then I think that I should just be grateful and not voice my worries and/or my requests. Yet, Paul implores us to be anxious for nothing – not one little thing. No matter if it is big or small, I should always share my requests with God. You should too. Why? Making your requests known is not for God’s benefit, it’s for yours. The beauty in making your requests known is that you release the very thing that was causing you to be anxious. You share the anxiety. You put it out in the open rather than holding it in and allowing it to divide you. The weight of that anxiety is released. Not only did you share it with someone, but you also shared it with the One who can help.
Now, I would be remiss if I did not share with you that how you make your requests known matters. Paul tells us to make our requests known by prayer, by supplication (a specific heart-felt petition), and with thanksgiving (gratitude). Our posture matters when we ask. Lift up your heart-felt need to God while thanking Him that He will also handle whatever the need may be. When we are able to share and ask thankfully, we not only feel the anxiety release, but we also gain something beautiful.
The Exchange
There is an exchange in the verses above. When you make your request known to God, releasing your anxiety, you get peace in exchange for what you released. In turn, that peace stands guard over your heart and mind. Better yet, it is a peace that you feel even when you do not completely understand all that is going on. God gives you protection via peace. He knows that we are often bombarded again and again with anxious thoughts (whether it be the same anxious thought over and over or a variety of them). After we release our anxiety, another anxious thought may arise, but this time it runs into the guard that stands in front of our hearts and minds. We all know that our hearts hold our deepest feelings and emotions, and our minds hold our thoughts that eventually spark our actions. This “peace” guard is such a gift because it guards our deepest, most intimate feelings, and it guards our thoughts thus protecting our future actions. Rather than acting out of the division and fear we feel when we are anxious, we are able to act out of peace, security, and thankfulness instead.
What a beautiful exchange. Praise Him.
Overtaken 