October Passage: Philippians 4:2-9
I entreat Euodia and I entreat Syntyche to agree in the Lord. Yes, I ask you also, true companion, help these women, who have labored side by side with me in the Gospel together with Clement and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the Book of Life.
Rejoice in the Lord Always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be know to everyone.
The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.
What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you. (ESV)
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Throughout each month, we will post short articles to give some depth of understanding regarding our text. Today we will discuss...
Anything and Everything
Most of us can nod in agreement and say “Amen,” when we hear a preacher tell us that the best is yet to come for you if you are a Christian.
We have all heard and - to one degree or another - we have all understood that ALL THINGS work for the good of those who love God and are call according to His purposes.
But, almost all of us have a “Yes, except for ___________.” or a "Yeah, but..." argument in the back of our minds or buried deep in our hearts.
Yes, I can give everything up to God, except for my kids. I gotta hold onto that stress. If I don’t hover and keep the danger away, who knows what evil could happen…
Yes, I trust Jesus for my salvation, and I need to release things to Him, except for this political mess in Washington. I’m gonna’ fight to make it right and vote for a savior (politician or political party) for our country…
Yes, I believe God can save anyone, except for my friend. He’s too rebellious and proud. I fear for his eternal destiny…
Yes, everything WILL work out eventually, but I’m hurting right now!
Paul is greatly concerned for us. He knows that, if we are to live in freedom, we must NOT waste our time and emotion on worry.
At best, worry is a useless way to let our hearts and minds wander without ever moving toward action for a solution.
At worst, worry points our hearts to a faithless action to solve a problem, which dishonors God, empowers Satan and usually creates bigger problems that we end up worrying about even more.
In Genesis, we see Abraham and Sarah worrying about not having a child. Their worry led to a disastrous choice to have a child through adultery. The child spawned from this sinful fruit of worry is at the root of world tensions that are still around today.
In the book of Isaiah, God judges His people because, when worried about a worldly enemy, they looked for worldly solutions to the problem. He said to them:
“Ah, stubborn children declares the LORD,
who carry out a plan, but not mine,
who make an alliance, but not of my Spirit,
that they may add sin to sin…” (Isa. 30:1)
We are just as likely to follow the same road as our ancestors. Knowing that, Paul says, Don’t Worry!
But, Paul doesn’t say, like Bobby McFerrin, “Don’t Worry, Be Happy.”
He doesn’t steer us toward ignoring our concerns or just closing out eyes, and whistling in the dark - hoping our concerns just go away somehow.
No. Just like everything else, Paul soaks us in Gospel truth as an antidote for our worry.
The Lord is at hand…
There is never a time in the Christian life when we are alone or abandoned. The longer we try to do things on our own, the more it may feel like we are alone, but the Lord is not far off.
This is true for the not-yet-believer as well. If you are not a Christian yet, please call out to Jesus now. He is at hand, he will come to you. Receive Him now. You don’t have to go it alone.
With God’s presence established, Paul continues. Since Jesus is near, so…
…do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be known to God…
Every word in the Bible is important, but sometimes we zero in on the “spiritual words” like holy and grace and propitiation while missing the other important words.
To the point of this article: Don’t miss the words “anything” and “everything.”
There is no room for a “Yeah, but…” kind of faith. Either God is sovereign and in complete control of everything, or He is not sovereign at all. Which is it? If you are in Christ, you cannot be conquered. You cannot be defeated. That’s good for you. But His control of the universe also lets you off the hook for the responsibility of everyone else.
World leaders may be out of their minds. Your children may not do what you think is wise or best. Your enemies may seem to have the upper hand.
But you can breathe easy and lay your cares at the feet of Jesus. The Father defeated your worst problem of sin and death in Hell. Everything else is child’s play. God isn’t weak. God isn’t unaware. God is more powerful than whatever you are worried about. God is smarter than you. God has a better plan for the outcome of every single thing that is going on. The Lord is at hand, so don’t be anxious about ANYTHING…
…but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be known to God…
Paul doesn’t say, "Don’t do anything about your concerns."
He doesn’t tell us to just twiddle our thumbs until Jesus returns. He doesn’t tell us to numb our minds with the distractions of this world. He tells us to Pray. Pray about EVERYTHING.
Prayer is the opposite of worry.
Worry keeps us at the center of the problem. Prayer puts God in the center.
Worry drives us to sinful solutions to sin problems. Prayer drives us to faith-filled faith-fueled solutions to problems.
Worry is impotent. Prayer is powerful.
In everything pray. Pray, ask and thank God…
And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Notice that Paul doesn’t say that if you pray, then your money problems will all go away; your dog will come back home; your kids will stop acting foolish and the government will run smoothly for the people. He does say that as you submit all of your life - including your concerns - to God in prayer, then you will have a peace that can only be explained by a deep-rooted faith in Jesus Christ.
It’s not just some calming worldview that shakes up when things really get tough. It is power. It is a strong fortress to protect our hearts from going astray. It’s a mighty guard to keep our minds reasonable instead of looking for easy-outs from the brokenness of the world. It is a gift of God.
Will you receive the gift?
Will you use it today on that “Yeah, but…” concern?
He’s waiting to give you peace.
