Philippians 4:6-7; Waging War on Worry

PastorRodney’s Weblog

09/01 Philippians 4:6-7; Waging War on Worry; Audio available at: http://www.ephraimbible.org/Sermons/20240901_philippians-4_6-7.mp3

Have you ever experienced anxiety? Do you struggle with worry? I remember as a teenager, when I was coming up with all kinds of crazy thing I wanted to do, it seemed my mom did nothing but worry. I remember starting to read my Bible on my own, and coming across Matthew 6, where Jesus says;

Matthew 6:24 ​“No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money. 25 ​“Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26 ​Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? 28 And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, 29 yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31 Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. 34 ​“Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

I remember sitting down in the kitchen and reading my mom that passage (as if she didn’t already know it!), and saying, ‘see mom, Jesus says you shouldn’t worry!’ as if the words of Jesus would simply melt away a mother’s worry.

The Dangers of Worry

Jesus actually had a lot to say about worry. In his parable about the sower and the soils, he warns against ‘the cares of the world and the ‘deceitfulness of riches and the desires for other things’ which ‘enter in and choke the word’ (Mk.4:19). In Luke 21, Jesus exhorts us to be eagerly anticipating his coming, and warns:

Luke 21:34 “But watch yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life, and that day come upon you suddenly like a trap.

Cares or worries can be so all-consuming that they choke the word out of our lives, ultimately demonstrating we don’t even know him. Our anxiety can so weigh down our hearts that we lose sight of the truth of the gospel. Anxiety is dangerous, a soul destroying cancer. How do we fight against our tendency to worry?

Do Not Be Anxious About Anything

Paul is right in line with Jesus’ teaching, and he gives us some practical instruction here in Philippians 4 on making war against worry. He starts by saying:

Philippians 4:4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. 5 Let your reasonableness (or gentleness) be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; 6 do not be anxious about anything, …

Let’s pause right there. This is a command; do not be anxious about anything; we could translate it ‘stop worrying about anything’. Don’t worry about anything but the really big things – I have to worry about those things; I have to worry about the essentials, right? Is that what it says? Or is it this; you should take the really big things to God, but you can carry all the little things yourself. It doesn’t say that. What does ‘anything’ mean? Don’t be anxious about anything. Which things are not included in all things? Jesus specifically tells us not to be anxious about food or drink or clothing or the future.

Waging War Against Worry Through Prayer

Paul tells us ‘do not be anxious about anything’; be anxious about not one thing. But he doesn’t leave it there. He doesn’t just say ‘don’t do that’ or ‘stop doing that’. He says ‘no longer do that, but instead do this. How do we battle anxiety? How do we wage war against worry? Paul says:

Philippians 4:6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.

We wage war against worry by prayer with thanksgiving. Are you worried about your finances? About your job? About the economy? About school? Are you worried about your health? The health of a loved one? Are you worried about your kids? Are you worried about your spouse? Or about finding one? Are you worried about how people perceive you? Are you worried about the future? There’s a lot to worry about, many legitimate concerns.

Positive Anxiety

This word ‘anxious’ or ‘worried’ is used in a positive sense back in 2:20, where Paul says that Timothy is unique in his care or concern (literally anxiety) for the Philippians. Paul encourages us in 1 Corinthians 12 that as members of the body of Christ, we have the same care (that’s our word anxiety) for one another, particularly for those who are suffering. Paul speaks of his own anxiety for all the churches in 2 Corinthians 11:28.

Part of the difference seems to be between a self-focused anxiety and care and concern for others. But even concern for others can be an all consuming negative that weighs down our hearts with worry. Whatever our cares, it matters what we do with them. Do we allow them to weigh us down, to lose sight of the gospel, to kill us like a noxious weed chokes out the good plants in your garden?

Some of us are naturally disposed toward anxiety, and some of us are more inclined to be carefree. But we are not told here to stop caring.

We are told what to do with our cares. A care-less person is often also a prayer-less person. We are to have a genuine care and concern for others. We are to look out not only for our own interests, but also the interests of others. We are to care deeply.

Prayer and Asking

But how do we prevent that care from becoming anxiety? This text tells us to bring it to God in prayer.

Philippians 4:6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything …let your requests be made known to God.

Let your requests be made known to God. Requests; asking. Don’t worry, ask. Any of you guys hesitate to ask for directions? Why? We don’t like to ask for directions or ask for help, because of pride. Asking is humbling. It is admitting that you need help. We want to be strong, sufficient, independent. We don’t want to admit that we need help. Asking is an act of humility, and Paul is all about humility in this letter.

Here’s what it boils down to; anxiety or worry means that we are trying to do it on our own, figure it out, make it happen. It is all up to me, and I refuse to ask for help. Prayer is bringing those cares to God, acknowledging that I need help, and I know who to go to for that help. James (4:2) says that often we have not because we ask not, and we ask not because we are too proud to ask. We battle anxiety by humbly asking God for help, making our requests known to God.

Paul uses several words for prayer in this verse. Fundamentally prayer is asking. He calls it ‘prayer’. Prayer is the more general word for directing our asking toward God. He also calls it ‘supplication’ or ‘petition’. This word points more specifically to the begging aspect of prayer. We are coming as an inferior to our superior, acknowledging our position and submitting our request. Do not be anxious about anything but instead pray about everything. Pray, pray pray.

With Thanksgiving

We are to make our requests known to God by prayer and by petition, and with thanksgiving. All prayer is to be characterized by gratitude. Remember in Luke (17:12-19) when Jesus healed 10 lepers? Only one returned to thank Jesus.

Luke 17:17 Then Jesus answered, “Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine? 18 Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?” 19 And he said to him, “Rise and go your way; your faith has made you well.”

All who ask receive, but it is inappropriate to receive without gratitude. Thanksgiving is an essential part of the battle against anxiety. Thanksgiving is the appropriate response to receiving a gift. It is some of the most basic things we teach our children; ‘say please and thank you’. Someone who refuses to say ‘thank you’ reveals that what they received was not a gift, it was owed to them, it was their right.

Paul points us to the seriousness of ingratitude when he talks in Romans 1 about the wrath of God against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of truth suppressing man;

Romans 1:21 For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened.

To acknowledge God is to recognize the gifts we have been freely given and to have someone to thank.

Thanksgiving a Response or Request?

But Philippians connects thanksgiving to the request being made, not a response to the answer being received. Paul says that the making of the request is to be done with thanksgiving. How does this make any sense? There’s a few ways to look at this.

We could look at the faithfulness of God to us in the past. He has answered past prayers, and so we can begin a new request with thanksgiving for his unfailing faithfulness.

Because we know the character of God, that he is wise, good and loving, we can be confident that he will answer in the best way (but not always in the way we anticipate). As his adopted children, he does not always give us exactly what we ask him for; he gives us what he knows we need and what is best for us. Praying with thanksgiving expresses our trust in him to do what is best, even if that is difficult for us.

The very fact that we have access in to his presence to ask is grounds for thanksgiving. Queen Esther was not permitted to enter the king’s presence without being summoned. In the blood of Jesus, we have a standing invitation to the throne room of the universe. It is grounds enough for thanksgiving that we have been forgiven our sins, rescued, redeemed, reconciled, brought near by the blood of Christ. The fact that we are invited to enjoy relationship with him, that he calls us his friends staggers the imagination and elicits explosions of gratitude.

The Promise of Peace

These two commands; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything make your requests known to God, through prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, come with a promise.

Philippians 4:7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

The peace of God.

Romans 5:1 Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

This peace of God is founded on our peace with God, but it is bigger than that. The peace of God is bigger than peace that has its source in God, a peace that comes from God. This is God’s own peace, the very peace of God that is his in his own essence. Nothing in the universe is outside his perfect control, and he is at peace. God is not anxious about what is going to happen next. He has it all under control, and all things are unfolding exactly according to his plan. God is peace, and because we are trusting in him, he invites us into his own peace.

Peace Surpassing Understanding

This is a peace that surpasses all understanding. It is supernatural peace, inexplicable peace, peace that is bigger and sweeter and richer than anything we have previously experienced. It is a peace that can carry us through the roughest of waters with perfect calm.

This is a peace that is not a result of our wisdom and ingenuity. It is not peace brought about by our preparation and planning and our human mental efforts to secure lasting peace for ourselves. This is a peace that is bigger than our ability to figure out a solution to our problems on our own. We seek to secure for ourselves a worry-free environment, and we fail. Throughout Philippians Paul has confronted our thinking, and exhorted us to have the mind of Christ, to think in line with the gospel, to be of one mind. But this promise of peace goes beyond our ability to reason ourselves out of a difficult situation. Paul can endure prison with peace. He can look death squarely in the eye with peace, because he walking in relationship with the God of peace.

Guarding Heart and Mind

This peace is bigger than our capacity to think and reason, it surpasses our mind, but it will guard both heart and mind. Anxiety is a destroyer of the mind and emotions. God’s peace stands guard over mind and heart, our emotions and will. His peace surpasses the mind but also protects the mind.

Anxiety is the toxic enemy of our souls, but we can kill anxiety, as Peter says:

1 Peter 5:6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, 7 casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.

This humble dependence on God, who understands vastly more than we do, who is immensely more wise and just and good than we are, is the polar opposite of worry. When we cast our cares on him and receive his peace, we will not feel the need to assert ourselves to get our own way, to defend our rights; when we hide in God’s peace, we will be characterized by a gentle peaceableness that is winsome, that people will notice.

Paul started this section by exhorting us to rejoice in the Lord always or in every circumstance. Now he tells us that under no circumstance are we to worry, but our every circumstance we are to make known to God through prayer with thanksgiving. Wage war on worry through prayer.

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Pastor Rodney Zedicher ~ Ephraim Church of the Bible ~ www.ephraimbible.org