War And Worry Series

So what are we to do? How do we deal with our feelings and our concerns and all of the unknowns of this war? That’s where Paul’s words in Philippians come in. He gives us a plan for surviving these times. I want to begin with the last few words of verse 5.

My translation reads, “The Lord is near.” Remember that the Lord is near. That’s a pretty good place to begin dealing with this war. No matter what you’re feeling, remember the Lord is near. Even if someone you love is far away, the Lord is near. When you cry at night the Lord is near. When you don’t think He’s listening, the Lord is near. When words like chemical weapons and terrorist attacks and scud missiles fill the air waves, the Lord is near. Let that sink in this morning.

Don’t rush past those words to get to the next verse. Let the thought settle on you this morning. The Lord is near. You and I can’t change the situation, but the Lord is near. You might not be able to reach out and hold your loved one, but the Lord is near. He hears every cry and knows every anxious moment. The Lord is near.

Students who are unsure of the future of this world or this country the best thing I can tell you is the Lord is near. He really is. And because of that, Paul can say, Don’t worry. Our ability to not worry does not come from our president or our military leaders. It’s because the Lord is near that we can have hope and confidence and security.

Paul says, “Do not be anxious about anything.” That’s a pretty strong statement. Don’t worry. Don’t be anxious about anything. If the situation in our world was different, I would probably be talking to you about all of the things we worry about that really aren’t worth worrying about. I’d talk to you about all of the small things that we spend so much time worrying about.

But I think we already realize that. Faced with the realities of a war, we clearly see how much time we waste worrying about little things that really don’t matter. But today, this verse is harder to deal with. We could easily admit that we really shouldn’t worry about problems at our job or disagreements with our friends or small issues with our children. We know we shouldn’t worry about those things.

But Paul says, “Don’t be anxious about ANYTHING.” Included in that is the war with Iraq. Paul says don’t worry about it. Now I don’t know about you, but I need a little more help than that if I’m going to stop worrying. Telling us to not worry while we are at war with Iraq is like telling someone who is suffering from grief or depression, “You should just be happy.” It doesn’t work that way.

Just telling me to stop worrying does not help me stop worrying, so I’m glad Paul kept writing. He tells us how to control our worrying. He writes, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving present your requests to God.”

That is the formula for dealing with worry, whether it’s little issues or big issues you’re worried about. They can all be brought under control through prayer. Instead of worrying, Paul tells us to pray. Paul uses three words for our prayers. The NIV translates them as “prayer,” “petition,” and “requests.”