Phil 4:4-7
Our scripture focuses on a challenge all of us face from time to time – how to deal with worry, anxiety, and stress. Sometimes we deal with it well and handle it in a mature way. At other times we may let it get out of hand. Watch what happens to Mr. Steinbloom. (He asks question after question as he worries outloud about the stage props).
DVD “A Mighty Wind is Blowing” at 55 minutes
I’m afraid poor Mr. .Steinbloom was overcome with worry.
Research has shown that
• 40% of the people worry about things that never happen.
• 30% worry about things over which they have no control
• 12% worry about things that are totally groundless.
Worry takes a big toll on our physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being.
In Phil 4:4-7, Paul gives three ways to take a bite out of worry, anxiety, and stress.
1. Rejoice. Twice he says to rejoice in v. 4. The fact that he says it this way must mean that he had a good reason to say it. For the church at Philippi things must have been pretty bad.
How bad? To begin with, according to Acts 16, when Paul and Silas began work in Philippi, they had a run-in with a local fortune teller who lost revenue because of their message. He had Paul and Silas arrested, beaten up, and put in jail. Later, they were released miraculously by an earthquake, but when Paul was writing this letter, he was in prison again, in Rome, with a death sentence over his head. And in Rome they didn’t look for the most painless way to execute people like in the U.S.; they tried to find the most painful way possible. What’s more he was physically ill and some of his friends had betrayed him. Yet he exhorts the church to rejoice.
Let’s be clear what this is about. This scripture doesn’t say to rejoice in your difficult situation. It doesn’t mean you are supposed to say, “Oh, goody. Something bad has happened again.” The other day, a neighbor came to our door and said tongue in cheek, “It’s exciting to live where I live. Someone threw pumpkins through three of my windows.” That is not what Paul meant.
What he meant was to rejoice in the Lord, not in the situation. Back in 3:20 Paul reminds us that we are citizens of heaven. That means our lives are motivated by divine principles, not human. Our values are different, our attitude is different, our perspective is different. Our joy doesn’t come from the things of this world, but from eternal realities. Joy is supernatural; it is not a happy-go lucky giddiness. That is why Paul lists it as part of the fruit of the Spirit in Gal. 5:22. Joy does not fade away when the sun goes down.
We see an example of the godly quality of joy in Acts 16, when Paul and Silas were locked up in prison. Verse 25 says that they sang hymns to God while the other prisoners listened. Their temporal imprisonment only served to highlight their freedom in Christ. Their joy came from their heavenly assurance, not from earthly uncertainty. Is joy a quality you experience, even when you worry?
2. Gentleness. The word gentle has the concept of being satisfied with less than you deserve when it comes to justice. If you look at other translations of this verse you will find a variety of expressions. The idea is that there is something that goes beyond justice. Just because the laws and rights and expectations say you deserve a certain outcome, that doesn’t mean you will get it or that you even deserve it. The rights and privileges we think we deserve are not set in stone.
What does gentleness have to do with worry, anxiety, and stress? Think about what happens to us when we experience worry. We begin to feel uptight, irritable, maybe angry, and other people have to take the brunt of our unpleasant feelings.
I’ll confess that worry, anxiety, and stress sometimes trigger un-Christ-like responses in me. As I reflected on this idea, I realized that I failed the test last week. Over a week ago, the gas company placed a steel plate over a hole they dug in on Elm Street. It is close enough to our house that we hear the bang-bang of traffic. They dug it up on a Thursday, let it there over the weekend, and did nothing about taking care of it. Workers came in their trucks and sat on the church parking lot for hours, but they didn’t do a thing. At quitting time they left. Every time I heard a semi rattle over the steel, I felt like yelling, “I demand my silence.” Finally, I sent an e-mail to the company, and I’m ashamed to say it was not very gentle.
Why should a Christian be gentle? Because The Lord is at hand. That might have two meanings. It could mean he is close by, in which case we should be influenced by his presence because He wants to help us. Or it might mean he is coming soon and he will take care of the wrongs we have suffered. Either way, if we keep in mind that the ultimate triumph of Christ will win out, maybe I don’t have to insist on my right to a quiet street.
Peter tells us in I Peter 2:23 that when Christ was abused, he did not return abuse; when he suffered, he did not threaten; but he entrusted himself to the one who judges justly. And in Gal. 5:22, guess what, gentleness is listed as one part of the fruit of the Spirit. Let’s ask ourselves how gentle we are when we worry.
3. Pray. As I said earlier, Paul had good reason to worry. In addition to the personal things we mentioned earlier, we see in the verses just before this that there was some kind of disagreement in this church he founded in Philippi. But he didn’t worry about it. Instead, he explained the secret of how to get victory over worry.
What is worry? The word “worry” or “anxious” used here means “to be pulled in different directions.” I’m sure you understand how our hopes pull us one way while our fears pull us another. As you know, worry, anxiety, and stress can have physical consequences: headaches, ulcers, even back pains. Many people are so weighed down by worry, anxiety, and stress that they are depressed. These ills come from trying to bear all these burdens alone. The Bible says we don’t have to.
How can we stop our worry when it keeps biting at our heels? It takes more than just telling ourselves to quit. Paul says it takes prayer. What does he mean? He says 3 things about it.
First, he says we should pray. The word prayer is a general word for getting in touch with God. Prayer means coming to God in adoration, devotion, worship. When we find ourselves worrying, the first thing we should do is to worship God. We need to be reminded who He is, that he is big enough to handle our problems.
Second, he uses the word supplication. This word means we share our needs and problems with Almighty God. In other words, we bring our concerns and requests to God. This is the way Jesus prayed in the garden. Read Hebrews 5:7. Notice that Jesus prayed with loud cries and tears. Supplication doesn’t mean dashing off a grocery list of wants and desires. Rather it refers to an intense spiritual request.
Third, he uses the word thanksgiving. Again and again in his letters, Paul tells Christians to give thanks. Read Eph. 5:20. Remember the time Jesus healed 10 men of leprosy and only one returned to say thanks? Jesus noticed the ingratitude and asked “Where are the 9?” God enjoys hearing his children say “Thank you.”
The result of this kind of prayer is peace that not only calms but guards our hearts and minds. (v. 7) The word for guard refers to a company of soldiers keeping watch over a city. When we lived in Japan, the neighborhood organized pairs of men who would go through the streets at night, clapping blocks of wood together and yelling, “all is well.” They did this especially near certain holidays when the likelihood of fires was high and thieves sometimes lurked in the shadows. People in their houses could rest, knowing that someone was watching out for them. That is the kind of guard God provides. He is keeping watch over us so that our minds need not be invaded by those alien forces of worry, anxiety, and stress..
No wonder Paul was able to write II Cor. 4:16-18. No wonder we do not lose heart. And no wonder peace is one more element in the fruit of the Spirit.
The trials on the outside may continue, but God will give a quiet confidence on the inside. Times of worry, anxiety & stress are good times to develop our prayer life.
I know that many of you have experienced battles with worry, anxiety, and stress, and have experienced the peace Paul talks about. I want to give you the opportunity now to share those experiences.
