Word@Work Phil44 - Philippians 4:6
Published: Tue, 11/24/09
Word@Work from BeaconLight
RESOLVING ANXIETY
Phil. 4:6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. (NIV)
Anxiety is very disabling: it is never a good thing. Paul commands his readers that it should be expelled from their lives. "Easier said than done", I hear someone say; and you are right ... but it is not impossible, otherwise this verse would not be in the Bible. What is anxiety? It is the fear-laden emotion of uncertainty about the future. Sin infected humanity believes it is in control, or ought to be in control. However, in real life, circumstances can easily run out of control, and relationships do not always go the way we want. When that happens, we naturally try to fix the problem. However, often the matter is too big to be completely fixed, or we make matters worse by our meddling: the problem remains unresolved and then we get anxious.
The spiral of anxious thoughts always continues until the uncertainty is resolved. Everybody handles it differently, but the effects can range from desperation to suppressed feelings which manifest the internal tension in unexpected behaviour. The Bible's advice is simple: resolve the matter by giving it to God, and trusting that He will resolve what you cannot. Of course, the Lord knows the future. And He sees how all the different parts of the problem are joined together; so He is uniquely placed to deal with it. God has the authority, power and wisdom to know what to do and the ability to do it.
So our task is to tell Him the problem in detail, thanking Him for His promise to care for His children. Of course, He already knows, but He wants us to tell Him (and thank Him for the answer). Our relationship with Him has to be built on trust, and sometimes He will allow unresolved problems to persist, until we have learned to commit them to Him, take our hand off the controls and trust Him to work. We can and should do that with everything - not just 'spiritual' matters. The workplace usually has enough issues so that the watchful believer will pray as much at work as in church. If you know others who follow Jesus at work, it is good to meet regularly to pray ... not just about your own needs, but the needs of the business too. Your decreased anxiety will be a happy relief for your colleagues!
Prayer: Dear Lord. Please forgive me for the many times when I worry because I do not pray. And forgive me when I pray, but don't believe that You can and will hear and answer. Help me to get into the habit of committing all the unresolved issues in my life to You as soon as I notice them. And please remind me that in giving thanks, I am not only praising You, but consolidating my relationship with You. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
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You can read the verses around this Bible passage from the Internet Bible: - in English, and many other languages
Anxiety is very disabling: it is never a good thing. Paul commands his readers that it should be expelled from their lives. "Easier said than done", I hear someone say; and you are right ... but it is not impossible, otherwise this verse would not be in the Bible. What is anxiety? It is the fear-laden emotion of uncertainty about the future. Sin infected humanity believes it is in control, or ought to be in control. However, in real life, circumstances can easily run out of control, and relationships do not always go the way we want. When that happens, we naturally try to fix the problem. However, often the matter is too big to be completely fixed, or we make matters worse by our meddling: the problem remains unresolved and then we get anxious.
The spiral of anxious thoughts always continues until the uncertainty is resolved. Everybody handles it differently, but the effects can range from desperation to suppressed feelings which manifest the internal tension in unexpected behaviour. The Bible's advice is simple: resolve the matter by giving it to God, and trusting that He will resolve what you cannot. Of course, the Lord knows the future. And He sees how all the different parts of the problem are joined together; so He is uniquely placed to deal with it. God has the authority, power and wisdom to know what to do and the ability to do it.
So our task is to tell Him the problem in detail, thanking Him for His promise to care for His children. Of course, He already knows, but He wants us to tell Him (and thank Him for the answer). Our relationship with Him has to be built on trust, and sometimes He will allow unresolved problems to persist, until we have learned to commit them to Him, take our hand off the controls and trust Him to work. We can and should do that with everything - not just 'spiritual' matters. The workplace usually has enough issues so that the watchful believer will pray as much at work as in church. If you know others who follow Jesus at work, it is good to meet regularly to pray ... not just about your own needs, but the needs of the business too. Your decreased anxiety will be a happy relief for your colleagues!
Prayer: Dear Lord. Please forgive me for the many times when I worry because I do not pray. And forgive me when I pray, but don't believe that You can and will hear and answer. Help me to get into the habit of committing all the unresolved issues in my life to You as soon as I notice them. And please remind me that in giving thanks, I am not only praising You, but consolidating my relationship with You. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
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