Philippians 4:6

“In nothing be anxious; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God”

“In nothing”: “Do not worry about anything” (Mon). “Entertain no worry” (Ber). Yet, we often want to "reserve" at least something or one thing to worry about. “Be”: Note: We have. choice in this area. We do not have to worry. We can choose not to. “Anxious”: “To draw in different directions thus to be of. divided mind” (Jackson p. 80). ‘Stop being anxious” (Robertson p. 459). God is not against "caring", rather He is against being unduly concerned about something, that is letting such cares choke and paralyze the child of God (Matthew 13:22). “Anxious harassing care, of attempting to carry the burden of the future oneself, especially about things over which one has no control” (Hawthorne p. 183).

Paul practiced what he preached. The man who wrote this spoke from experience (Philippians 4:11-12). Presently, he probably had far more things he could worry about, than the brethren in Philippi---or us.

Lest we think that such instruction was "easy" for the Philippians, we need to remind ourselves that "stress" has always existed. Even Christians can find themselves thinking that since our generation and culture moves faster than others, that we have more things to worry about, thus this passage does not really apply to us in the busy rat-race of the Western world. Yet listen to what Bruce says, “Christian experience in. pagan world was full of uncertainties: persecution of one kind or another was always. possibility, and the impossibility of membership in guilds which were under the patronage of pagan divinities was bound to involve economic disadvantage” (p. 143). “Paul and the Philippians had ample reason (from. human standpoint) for anxiety since the one was in prison and the others were threatened with persecution (Philippians 1:28). So he is not speaking of imaginary troubles or phantom anxieties” (Hawthorne p. 183). Thus if they were not to worry about such real possibilities, obviously the Christian today (who is not being persecuted), needs to turn over all their worries (yes, even the ones which pertain to career, spouse, children, retirement, and the future) to God. Jesus taught the same truth (Matthew 6:25).

The answer to worry

God is fair, He does not give us. command without also giving us the "tools" we need to implement it. The world has come up with any of its own ways of handling worry, such as drugs, physical temporary pleasure, even apathy, that is, ceasing to care about the troubles of life so that they will not bother you anymore. “Don't expect anything, don't get your hopes up about anything and you will never be disappointed”. “God never tells us to suppress every desire” (Hendriksen p. 195). “At the coming of the Lord all wrongs will be righted, and the believer will stand in the presence of his Lord, fully vindicated. Hence, let him not make too much of disappointments, or unduly trouble himself about the future” (Hendriksen p. 194).

“But in everything by prayer”: Someone has well said, that if. care is too small to be made into. prayer, then it is too small to worry about. “But under all circumstances” (TCNT). “There is nothing too great for God's power; and nothing too small for His fatherly care” (Barclay p. 77). “In everything”: Sadly, some Christians only view prayer as. last resort, or something that is only used in emergency situations. Others view prayer as being completely inadequate for the big "crisis" situations. In contrast, God says, “prayer is suited for all and every circumstance”. “Supplication”: Hawthorne offers the following insights: “How does one gain and keep his equilibrium in. world heaving with anxiety-creating situations? Paul's answer: by prayer, and by believing that God is, and that He is greater than the greatest problem. From personal experience he had learned that ‘the way to be anxious about nothing was to be prayerful about everything'. He is saying in effect, that prayer is. conversation with,. plea directed to,. request made of the supreme Person of the universe who can hear, know, understand, care about and respond” (p. 183).

“With thanksgiving”: Paul often connects gratitude with prayer (Romans 1:21; Romans 14:6; Ephesians 5:20; Colossians 3:15). “This implies humility, submission to God's will, knowing that this will is always best” (Hendriksen p. 196). Matthew 6:10 “Thy will be done”. “Thanksgiving must be the universal accompaniment of prayer. The Christian must feel, as it has been put, that all his life he is, as it were suspended between past and present blessings” (Barclay p. 77). “To begin by praising God for the fact that in this situation, as it is, He is so mightily God--such. beginning is the end of anxiety” (Hawthorne p. 183). This passage is. great test of spirituality and character, because selfishness and pride insist that we hold on to our worries. Actually, when we refuse to give God our worries we are arrogantly claiming that He cannot handle these problems but we can. Expressing such cares to God is to glory in God instead of wallowing in self. Letting God have our worries is part of giving God the complete control in our lives (Galatians 2:20).

“Let your requests be made known unto God”: Compare with Matthew 6:8; 1 Peter 5:7). “The troubles that exercise us then cease to be hidden and bottled up. They are, so to speak, laid open to God, spread out before Him” (Hawthorne p. 184). This should remind us that gratitude needs to be expressed just for the opportunity to pray!