Have you ever struggled with anxiety?
Then today’s Bible verse is for you.
Philippians 4:6
“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God…”
Anxiety is a normal and often healthy emotion. However, when a person regularly feels disproportionate levels of anxiety, it can become a medical disorder.
One Bible verse commonly used to help with anxiety is Philippians 4:6, which says, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”
Here are 2 observations about Philippians 4:6 that relate to anxiety.
First, It encourages the reader not to be anxious:
The verse begins by instructing the reader to “not be anxious about anything.” This is a clear and direct message to trust in God’s care and not let worries consume one’s thoughts.
When my children were teenagers and they would be late getting home. If I were not home, my wife would stay up and wait for them. She would call me and when I got home, she would go to bed. She knew I would watch for the child and see that things were okay. Her reasoning was that there was no point in both of us worrying about the same thing. I think that is God’s reasoning here. If we take our trouble to God and then fume and fret about it, we are wasting energy. God has it so let go and let God handle it. Don’t be anxious about anything.
Second, It emphasizes the power of prayer:
The verse says to present one’s requests to God through prayer and petition, indicating that prayer is an important tool in overcoming anxiety. Sometimes we might have a problem and say we have done all we could. Well, have you prayed about it? Until you have prayed about it, you haven’t done all you can. This is not to suggest that if you have the problem of an illness, you can just pray. Praying is not all we do, but it certainly is one thing we should do.
I call Philippians 4:6, “The Antidote for Anxiety.”
I know it is because the very next verse tells us so.
“And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”
There it is! True peace comes at the end of true prayer.
Lonnie Davis