Paul understood we would have worries and anxieties in this life [see my post about this]. Paul himself dealt with many (2 Cor. 11:16-29). We certainly have reasons to worry today. Our recent wave of fear, crisis, and worry should drive us to God’s word for an answer. Paul’s answer can be seen in Philippians 4:4-9. There we find six steps to deal with anxiety today.
- Rejoice in the Lord (Phil. 4:4). Paul intentionally focused on choosing joy in the Lord. Though he wrote from a Roman prison, he still chose to highlight his joy all through the letter. Paul had joy despite his circumstances because he had the Lord. The world’s happiness will always come short of the joy found in the Lord!
- Be Reasonable (Phil. 4:5). Paul is expressing the idea of calmness under pressure. We need to have wisdom, patience, and reasonableness about us. Don’t be flighty and jumpy at every concern. We need to be balanced, grounded, and centered in God. Picture yourself as a great cruise ship slowly steaming ahead in faith despite the world’s waves and winds.
- Pray with Request and Thanksgiving (Phil. 4:6). If it is not worth praying about it, then it is not worth worrying about! Worry is like a rocking chair, you can rock all day and get nowhere! Prayer should be our first and most powerful response to the anxiety we feel. God gives us an open invitation to pray, but He requires we count our blessings through thanksgiving when we do.
- Accept the Peace of God (Phil. 4:7). God’s peace is an inward reassurance that Christians possess through faith. It is a peace that protects or guards our hearts and minds from the lies, anxiety, and threats of Satan. God’s peace is there, we have to choose to accept it by casting out fear (1 John 4:18).
- Meditate on Good Things (Phil. 4:8). When you feel anxious, ask yourself what have you been putting into your mind. A constant diet of negative, anxiety-producing information will increase your worry and blood pressure. Paul tells us to focus on pure, good, honorable, and lovely things.
- Live according to your theology, not your anxiety (Phil. 4:9). Paul ends this section by reminding us to practice these attributes. In reading this article, you probably haven’t learned anything new, but hopefully it has served as a reminder to practice what you know. We have to live our faith, not our fears.
May Christians represent the peace and joy of God in world desperately in need of it today.
