Replacing Anxiety
Don’t worry about anything. What’s your knee-jerk response to that charge? Does it even seem possible? Maybe you can relate to this, I’m the kind of person that almost reads that charge as irresponsible. I’ve lived with worry for such a long time that I’ve begun to mask it in my mind as “preparation.” Paul is clear in Philippians that worry is a habit we need to kick and there is another life-giving one that we must replace it with – prayer.
Can you imagine a life where anxiety is completely gone? Maybe this isn’t an issue you struggle with all too frequently, but we’ve all been nervous and worked up over something in our stories. Parts of that nervous energy aren’t bad, it means you care, but when it turns into anxious worrying that’s when there’s cause for pause.
Let’s look at Paul’s full charge before breaking it down, “Don’t worry about anything; instead pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all that He has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7).
What’s nice is how clear Paul is. He isn’t saying just stop worrying and be better. There is a very pointed charge to get rid of worry and replace it with prayer. The beauty is that when we find ourselves worrying, that now functions as a “stop-sign” reminder to pray.
There are some people out there that seem to find the need to drive home the point that anxiety is sinful and that you’re a sinner if you experience it. I find that to be so beside the point. Paul’s goal is to teach us how to live better. He’s reminding us that there is a peace that surpasses our understanding available to us if we’d only turn to God in prayer amidst the things that concern us.
Paul continues to show us exactly how we should pray. We need to practice specific prayer. This requires us to be aware of the things we actually need. I don’t know about you, but this is a harder practice than I’d care to admit – knowing my needs and wants. What’s helpful is that it forces us to hit the pause button and assess – what is it that I truly need right now? It’s not always an easy question to answer as it forces self-awareness. Once we have the answer we bring that specific thing directly to the Lord – in the same way you’d ask your mom for lunch when you were little or help from a friend.
Once that need is realized and vocalized to God, Paul implores us to practice remembrance. Look back and recall the times you knew God showed up for you. What’s amazing is that the longer we habituate it the longer our list of remembrance grows. This has a direct correlation to the health of our endurance, steadfastness, and faith.
We tell God, “this is what I’m really needing right now.” We then recall, “and I know you have met my needs at ‘x’ in the past.” Then something pretty incredible happens. We begin to experience the peace from God. Notice, Paul does not say that all your problems will subside. He says that you’ll experience peace that doesn’t make sense. Which likely means that we are going to experience peace not once said problem is resolved or provided for, but as we are in the midst of said problem – that’s the part that doesn’t make sense. God is offering us His peace right now, in the middle of the chapter, He doesn’t hold it for once the story is over.
Paul concludes by mentioning peace not as a vacation or time off, but as a battle word. God’s peace will now guard our hearts and minds while we continue living for and with Jesus. We would not need guarding if we weren’t under attack. Friends, there will always be a temptation to worry. Worry is our default when we look ahead and struggle to see the answer or the end of the road. When we try to do things out of our own strength, we are all too often reminded of our weakness and lack of control.
It's when we turn our minds and hearts in practice to the Lord amidst the uncertainty that relief begins to come. Paul’s language is not a one-and-done charge, it is a constant-always charge. Do you find yourself struggling with anxiety? I want to be the one to tell you two things: it’s OK (anxiety is a byproduct of the broken world) and there’s another way. This other way takes practice and awareness, but friends, it leads to life and peace. Anxiety does not need to rule your life. Let’s reframe it together and use our anxieties as a reminder to seek the Lord in prayer. What the enemy meant for evil, let’s through Paul’s charge let God turn it for our good.
