Blake Allen, Student and Outreach Minister, LHBC
Philippians 4:6
6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.
What gives you anxiety? Whether it is the unknown or known, receiving bad news or waiting on news, spiders or changing your kids first diapers; we have all been faced with situations that have the potential to bring about anxiety. And being told not to worry about it doesn’t seem to help our case. The last thing I want to hear from someone when I am anxious is to “calm down” or “not worry about it.” As if it were that simple right?
But have you ever thought about why we worry? What causes our bodies to go into shock or our minds to race? I have read Philippians 4:6 time and time again, and for some reason I still find myself worrying at times about things I can’t control. So what is the solution? Here are just a few thoughts:
- Train yourself to respond in prayer. According to studies done on human behavior, it can take 3-6 months to form a new habit. Many times we don’t automatically respond in prayer because we have not a habit of prayer. But what if we trained ourselves to respond in prayer when faced with anxious situations? Imagine how much stress would be relieved. The reality is we have a mighty God who is fighting for us. He desires to hear from us and is willing to give us what we need to make it through. This passage also says that by supplication we are to make our requests known to God. Supplication is the act of asking or begging earnestly. God is not making a mockery of us. He is not a tyrant king wanting to see us suffer and beg for mercy. God actually desires to give us the desires of our hearts according to His will. Here is the reality: we probably wouldn’t beg anyone for anything unless we knew they were the only ones who could provide what we needed. That’s the point. God knows he is the only answer for life and salvation. He wants us to come to Him with our worries and fears. He tells us to cast our anxieties upon Jesus. For the one who took on the weight of sin and death can easily handle our worries and fears. We must have a habit of prayer.
- Train yourself in Scripture memorization. Jesus’s weapon of choice when tempted by Satan was Scripture memorization. When faced with anxiety, we need to have the word of God hidden in our hearts, ready to call to mind. Every verse in the word of God is ammunition for Satan and his schemes. When we memorize Scripture, we are reminded of God’s promises in His word and His faithfulness to us no matter what circumstance we face. We are able to declare victory according to His word over whatever battle we face. We must have a habit of Scripture memorization.
- Train yourself in thanksgiving and praise. While this seems like an odd suggestion, it is actually quite fitting. When faced with anxiety we should call to mind our past victories over similar battles we have faced. We can thank God and praise Him for seeing us through our former battles and declare victory in Jesus name in our current battles. He was faithful then, he will be faithful now. Praise our conquering God and dwell on all that He has already done in your life.
According to Philippians, we are not to be anxious about anything. That is easier said than done but when we develop a habit of prayer, Scripture memorization, and dwell on the victories we have already accomplished in Jesus’ name; we can have confidence we will have victory over the anxiety that tries to plague us.
PRAYER FOR TODAY
Father, empower us to overcome all anxieties we face. We trust your promises and declare victory in Jesus’ name. Help us to rest in your presence, and provide your overwhelming peace in our lives. Amen.
MEMORY VERSE OF THE WEEK:
Psalm 136:23
It is he who remembered us in our low estate, for his steadfast love endures forever;