Too Blessed To Be Stressed

Introduction: I had a friend in Memphis named Jerry Metcalf, who worked next door at the Memphis Mental Health Clinic. He also worked with the juveniles we treated, worked as a chaplain for our juvenile correctional unit, and he was also the praise leader at his church. On top of that, Jerry and his wife had nine kids! That’s right – nine! A few years after we met, there was talk of closing down that facility where he had worked so many years, and I could see the worry starting to build a bit in his expression. But whenever I’d ask him if he was alright, he’d always respond the same way; “I’m too blessed to be stressed!” I like that – “Too blessed to be stressed.” He not only could say it; Jerry lived it every moment of every day!

With the outbreak of this strain of coronavirus, and the subsequent panic buying, fear, and uncertainty we’re seeing all around us, it can be a challenge not to allow our concerns to develop into full blown fear. In fact, the passage we’re looking at this morning gives us that as a command; “Be anxious for nothing.” So, how do we do that? How do we control anxiety and worry in the face of a real, actual threat such as this? How do we stay in touch with God to the point that we too can say, “I’m Too Blessed to Be Stressed?”

I. Prohibit the Anxiety. The command that Paul gives in this passage, in the first part of verse 6, is “Be anxious for nothing . . .” Looking at the Greek text, it literally says “for nothing be anxious.” The word here for anxious, (µe??µ??te), is also translated as “worry,” or “profound concern.” Actually, this is plural, so “do not have anxieties” – or “worries.” So why this command from Paul? Isn’t it appropriate to worry or experience a bit of anxiety when there is a genuine and real threat we’re facing? Facing a global pandemic like COVID-19, there are some very genuine reasons to be concerned and to take precautions.

A. Concerns v. Worry: But that’s just it: There’s a difference between legitimate concerns and unfounded worries. Concern about a problem, threat, or stressor leads us to take the matter into perspective and formulate a plan of action. Paul was “deeply concerned” for the progress of the gospel and condition of the individual churches he had founded, and at times, lost sleep over them (2 Cor. 11:28). Worry and anxiety on the other hand, are the results of “over-thinking” that problem, and then behaving based on our fears rather than in the proper perspective. Haven’t we seen that in the last couple of weeks? The panic buying, people reporting a case of the virus around every corner? That is the reaction to FEAR, not a reasonable perspective based on a legitimate concern. And it’s a bit ridiculous to boot! Jesus put it like this, “And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?” [Matt. 6:27 ESV]. The answer is implied – you can’t! Who would want to live a life controlled by fear and anxiety? There are people we treat who have conditions that are related to continual anxieties, fears, and phobias, and it is a very difficult existence. We don’t have to live in the grip of fear. [Illustration] I heard about a little boy who sat up one night all night long, worried about where the sun went. Finally, it dawned on him! (Ok, bad pun). Malachi 4:2 tells us, And unto you that fear My name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in His wings! Don’t fear; the One with healing in His wings will dawn on you!

B. A Quiet Head & Calm Heart: Reacting in fear with worry or anxiety is not only a bad way to make decisions, but it’s also a spiritual problem in which we doubt, fail to trust God, and look away from God and to our own abilities to deal with a problem. In a day and age in which believers were being martyred for their faith, both Paul and the Philippians knew what a very dark, harsh, and genuine threat surrounded them. And that is why Paul is giving this instruction. We need to have a quiet mind and a calm heart when dealing with a threatening situation, or when facing highly stressful life events.

II. Pray with Thanksgiving. Ok . . . so, don’t worry about anything, don’t be anxious about anything. But how? How exactly do we go about doing that? How do we keep a legitimate threat or concern from growing into anxiety, worry, or fear? That’s a lot easier said than done, especially when the threat is life & death. Paul follows this “do not” command with a couple of “do” commands to help us combat that fear, anxiety, and worry. The first of those is to “pray.” To calm our hearts, we need to seek God!