Anxious for Nothing (Philippians 4:6–7)
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
– Philippians 4:6–7
Part of me wants to just jump in and start praying this over you. But before I do that, I just want us all to answer this question.
What are you tempted to be anxious about today? What are you tempted to be worried about today? What are the things that are concerning you on your heart right now? It could be things in your own life, things in your family, things pertaining to people you love, family, friends? Are you anxious about anything when it comes to your work? Are you anxious about things happening in the world? So just, God, bring to the surface right now the things that you’re anxious about, and then listen to this word from God straight from verse six.
God’s saying to us right now, do not be anxious about any of those things. I love what verse five says right before this. The Lord is at hand. God, who’s sovereign over all things, is with you, is for you, so you don’t have to be anxious about anything. You are free from being anxious or worried about anything. And then he says, instead of being anxious about anything, in everything, by prayer and supplication, to present these things we’re anxious to, to God with thanksgiving.
How do you do that? When you’re anxious about something, how do you pray? Lift those things to God with thanksgiving? Here’s how you remember, God, I’m thankful you’re in control.
Lord, I’m thankful you have all these things in your hand. God, I’m thankful that you’re all wise. God, I’m thankful that you’re loving and powerful. I’m thankful that nothing is beyond your control. And just thank God for all the good things that are happening in your life, in your family, in your work, and in the world around us.
Be intentional to come to God with thanksgiving, present these requests to him, and he says, “My peace that surpasses all understanding will guard your heart and your mind in Christ Jesus” when you do this. This is Isaiah 26, you keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you because he trusts in you.
So the way to have peace in a world where we’re prone to be anxious about so many things is to fix our eyes on God with thanksgiving, present our request to him, and let his peace guard us, guard our minds and our hearts in Christ.
Because this is who we are and this is where we are. We have security and stability and steadfast confidence because we’re in Christ. So God, I pray this over all of us amidst all the things we are anxious about. We bring them before you right now with thanksgiving,
God, thank you for your grace in our lives. Thank you for your mercy. Thank you for your goodness. Thank you for your righteousness. Thank you for your justice. Thank you for your power. Thank you for your wisdom. Thank you for your promises that you’re working all things together for our good. God, we thank you for who you are, for what we trust you are doing even in ways we don’t see or understand.
So we present all these things that are heavy on our hearts before you, oh God, and we pray that you would help us to keep our eyes fixed on you, you at hand with us, and we pray for your peace that passes all understanding to guard our hearts and minds today, to keep us from anxiety about these things. And God, we pray that you help us to live in this, not just today, but tomorrow and every day. Help us to remember these words and to do what you’re calling us to do, to not be anxious about anything, but in everything, in prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, to let our requests be made known to you, to cry out to you, knowing you hear us and knowing you promise that your peace that surpasses all understanding will guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
May it be so, we pray, in our lives. And God, we pray that this peace would spread through us today. We pray for the spread of your peace to people who are anxious around us, who don’t know the confidence and security and stability that is found in Jesus.
A Prayer for the Pattani Malay People
And God, we pray this for people groups around the world. We pray specifically today for the Pattani Malay people of Thailand, for over 1.5 million of them have little to no knowledge of the peace that’s found in Jesus. God, we pray that the Pattani Malay people would be reached with the good news of your peace that passes all understanding, your love in Jesus that supersedes everything this world throws at us. Oh God, we pray all this according to your Word, which we love. In Philippians 4:6–7, in Jesus’ name, please guard our hearts and minds today in him, in an anxious world. Amen.
