In Philippians 4:6-7, Paul teaches us how to deal with anxiety when in comes into our lives. He writes,
“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 comprehension, shall guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
“This is a command, not an option,” writes Bible commentator David Guzik. Another commentator wrote on this passage and titled it; ‘How to obey an impossible injunction.”1
We want peace in our lives. But to obtain peace, we must learn to trust God and not ourselves. My hope is that this paper will help us to trust God which will bring peace.
Background
1. As humans, God has given us the ability to look forward into the future and plan. The animals do not do this, it is a uniquely human activity. This ability to think about our own future, when done without God, becomes our weakness.
2. Paul wrote the epistle to the Philippians while awaiting trial in Roman prison. Commentator Alexander MacLaren observes, “when Rome fixed its claws it did not usually let go without drawing blood.”2 It was possible that Paul would never leave prison, or he could even be given the death sentence. Instead of doom and gloom, Paul finds the peace of God.
We will explore three ideas from Philippians 4:6-7: Peace; being Anxious (how to avoid it); and, Prayer & petition with thanksgiving. First we will look at how to achieve peace.
Peace
“…the peace of God shall guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
Peace with God and peace with men is a big issue. The Hebrew word for peace is shalom and was given as a common greeting. One messianic Bible translation, the Hebrew Names Version, uses the word shalom 379 times which highlights its importance.
Early in God’s relationship with the sons of Israel, God instituted the peace offering, which is also known as a thank offering. The phrase ‘peace offering(s)’ occurs 204 times in 84 verses in the Old Testament.
Biblical scholar William Smith provides this perspective concerning the peace offering:
“The offerer was already reconciled to and in covenant with God. The general principle of the peace offering seems to have been that it should be entirely spontaneous, offered as occasion should arise, from the feeling of the sacrificer himself.”3
Easton’s Bible Dictionary describes them thus: “They were of three kinds: (1) eucharistic or thanksgiving offerings, expressive of gratitude for blessings received; (2) in fulfillment of a vow, but expressive also of thanks for benefits received; and (3) free-will offerings, something spontaneously devoted to God.”
In the New Testament, the word ‘peace’ occurs 96 times in 88 verses. A few examples are:
John 14:27 “Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.”
John 16:33 “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.”
Romans 8:5-6 “For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace.”
Anxious
“Be anxious for nothing…” Anxious: to be anxious; to be troubled with cares.4
Being anxious is an “Uneasy feeling of uncertainty, agitation, dread, or fear. The most common words in Scripture translated as “anxious” or “anxiety” are the Hebrew deagaa (used ten times as in Prov 12:25 Anxiety in the heart of a man weighs it down, but a good word makes it glad.) and the Greek merimna (used twelve times as in Phil 4:6.) Older English versions of the Bible often render these words as “thought, ” “worry, ” or “care.”5
The issues we face in life can produce anxiety which should drive us to God in prayer. If we only depend upon ourselves, we miss out on developing our relationship with God. We are designed to be in that dependent relationship and not alone. As Ellicott’s commentary points out about the command to not be anxious,
“The prohibition is of that painful anxiety which is inevitable in all who feel themselves alone in mere self-dependence amidst the difficulties and dangers of life.”6
“In the Bible anxiety is frequently depicted as the common human reaction to stressful circumstances. Anxiety is portrayed in the Scripture as being inconsistent with trust in God. Anxiety frequently manifests itself in ungodly concern about provision, performance, or reputation, and appears to be rooted in incomplete knowledge, lack of control over circumstances, or failure to take an “eternal” perspective on things.”7
We find that dealing with anxiety is a common issue even among Christians. We are not exempt from the concerns and stresses of life as pointed out earlier. The three manifestations of anxiety just mentioned are worth considering further.
Provision
Jesus teaching on God’s provision for us is given in Matthew 6:25-34.
25 “For this reason I say to you, do not be anxious for your life, as to what you shall eat, or what you shall drink; nor for your body, as to what you shall put on. Is not life more than food, and the body than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? 27 And which of you by being anxious can add a single cubit to his life’s span? 28 And why are you anxious about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, 29 yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory did not clothe himself like one of these. 30 But if God so arrays the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more do so for you, O men of little faith? 31 Do not be anxious then, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘With what shall we clothe ourselves?’ 32 For all these things the Gentiles eagerly seek; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added to you. 34 Therefore do not be anxious for tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”
Summarizing a few of the points made by Jesus:
- Do not be anxious for your life (v 25 & 31)
- God provides for the birds, you are more valuable (v 26-27)
- God ‘clothes’ the lilies and will do so for you (v 28-30)
- Seek first His kingdom & righteousness and God will provide (v 33)
- Do not be anxious for tomorrow (v 34)
Performance
Some of our anxiety can come when standing up for our faith. The Holy Spirit working in our lives can bring to mind the truth when we need it. Our ability to perform is not dependent on us alone. An example of this is given in Luke 12:11-12,
“And when they bring you before the synagogues and the rulers and the authorities, do not become anxious about how or what you should speak in your defense, or what you should say; for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.”
Reputation
Our concern for getting accolades can bring anxiety. Instead of seeking to be first by exalting ourselves, we should be humble before God. 1 Peter 5:6-7
“Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your anxiety upon Him, because He cares for you.”
Prayer & Petition with Thanksgiving
“…but in everything by prayer and petition with thanksgiving…”
Paul uses this same idea of prayer and supplication (petition) in Ephesians 6:18:
“With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints.”
Also in first Timothy 2:1,
“First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men.”
When Paul uses the phrase in this manner, some of the older commentators thought of ‘prayer’ as positive to obtain a good, and ‘supplications’ as negative to avoid an evil. Later commentators (Thayer’s Lexicon included), say that ‘prayer’ is better thought of as general seeking of God, and ‘supplication’ or ‘petitions’ being a specific request.
Therefore we should approach God in prayer asking for a solution to the specific issue we are facing. In my own life, I apply the principle in this manner: If I am anxious about something, I think about it and to see if God has given me a solution and I pray. If I have the solution already, I’m done. If I do not have the solution, my prayer is for a solution to the specific problem, and I wait for God’s answer. Thanksgiving depicts my attitude toward God of resting in Him.
Paul gives the only real answer to anxiety, prayer – turning the concern over to God. If we don’t pray, we can be prone to worry about things. Faith in God to provide can bring peace and dissipate the anxiety in our hearts. Alexander MacLaren comments,
“Luther says somewhere that a man’s heart is like a couple of millstones; if you don’t put something between them to grind, they will grind each other.”
Receive Peace
Anxiety in our lives acts as a signal. Like the warning light on the dash of our car, anxiety informs us we need to seek God. Our relief is to seek God in the manner Paul has laid out for us in Philippians 4:6-7. We turn our anxiety over to God for the specific issues we face, and in return, we receive God’s peace that passes all comprehension!
Appendix
On some occasions, we may have anxiety because of guilt. In Psalm 38, David is suffering guilt over his iniquity. Verse 18 says,
“For I confess my iniquity; I am full of anxiety because of my sin.”
Read about another aspect of thinking correctly in the related post Purity of Thought.
1 Alexander MacLaren
2 MacLaren’s Expositions
3 Smith’s Bible Dictionary
4 Thayer’s Greek Lexicon
5 Baker’s Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology article written by Ralph E. Enlow, Jr. on “Anxiety”
6 Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
7 Baker, “Anxiety”, emphasis added