Overcoming Anxiety

I don’t have to tell you about the negative effects of anxiety, because I think we all know what they are. But pre-pandemic the OECD reported that anxiety is the most common mental disorder in the world. Can you imagine how these statistics shot through the roof after the pandemic began, after the war in Ukraine started and after the worldwide economic crush? And what does anxiety do for us anyway? It weighs the heart down (Pro 12:25).

This brings us to today’s text. Let’s turn to Phil 4:5-7. I’m going to start at verse 5b.

5b The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious or worried about anything, but in everything [every circumstance and situation] by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, continue to make your [specific] requests known to God. 7 And the peace of God [that peace which reassures the heart, that peace] which transcends all understanding, [that peace which] stands guard over your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus [is yours].

In this passage Paul points us to the remedy for anxiety:

? God’s presence

? Prayer with thanksgiving

? Peace of God

In this passage Paul told the church not to be anxious. If anyone should have been anxious it was Paul. He had already suffered under so much duress as a follower of Christ - mocked, beaten, stoned, and left for dead. He had been shipwrecked three times, wrongly accused as an evil doer on many occasions, thrown into prison without cause. He lost his status, his reputation, he basically lost everything. He was relentlessly pursued by Jews and Gentiles alike and there were times he didn’t even have enough to eat. He was also deeply concerned about the welfare of the churches. The times he was imprisoned he believed that God would deliver him out of prison, but he was also mentally prepared for the possibility of the death sentence. Wouldn’t all these circumstances tend to stress you out?

Paul was actually writing to the Philippian church while he was in prison. While he was there, you didn’t see him pointing fingers or blaming others for his circumstances or else spending all his energy doing every possible thing to vindicate himself and get out of jail. He was absolutely aware of his own situation and what the church in Philippi was going through. He wasn’t hyper-spiritual or have a dissociative disorder when he was telling this church not to worry about anything but to pray about everything. He viewed his time in prison from God’s perspective. He had joy and was actually thankful for what God was doing through His situation and instead of stressing out and worrying about what he would lose and couldn’t control, that is, his own future and the future of others, he was writing letter after letter to the churches to encourage, exhort, and teach them to trust the Lord in everything. He obviously had the peace that he was talking about. So, what was his secret?

1. God’s presence

I never really noticed this short sentence: “The Lord is near” in v. 5 comes right before v. 6. How is it even possible that Paul, who is in prison, could write, “don’t worry about anything but pray about everything”? It’s because of what came before this thought in verse 5, the Lord is near. He knew the Lord was nearer to him than the prison guard assigned to him, nearer than his closest friends or anyone that came to minister to him. The situation was so beyond his control, and he knew worrying about it wouldn’t solve anything. The only solution was to put everything into God’s hands and trust Him in the situation. He really knew Who he was talking to in the prison and had confidence in the One who was near him and because he knew He was ultimately in control over everything.

My question is: Who is God to us? Do we just picture a big person on a huge throne waiting to judge good and bad deeds? Or are we each day getting to know an infinite, holy God who never changes, a God of inexhaustible grace, love, and kindness who has perfect knowledge and perfect wisdom, is faithful and true, who is always good, incredibly patient and full of mercy, and perfectly just? His Word tells us that He is sovereign over all things and is working out His perfect, intricate plan in our lives. When we meditate on this, there is no need to worry or to be anxious.

What is anxiety anyway? The word in the Greek is defined as “having a divided mind.” Like having one foot in the world and one in heavenly places and having a Plan B in case God doesn’t come through. Our minds are always working out what needs to be in place in order to have a sense of peace or security. In fact, we spend a lot of time and energy putting these things into place. Anxiety is the fear of losing control of a situation, it could be that there is something in your life that is more important to you than God Himself and you are anxious about losing it or never obtaining it. Apparently, the church in Philippi had a lot of anxiety, the opposition from without had sapped their joy and the fighting from within the church had stolen their peace. They were anxious about losing their reputation and their wealth.