Philippians 4 — Do Not Be Anxious

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known 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 made 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. This is Philippians four, verses four through eight. Saint Paul wrote it from prison. Chained to a Roman guard. Awaiting trial that could end in his execution. And he wrote, Rejoice. Do not be anxious. Think about lovely things. That is the credibility of this passage. It does not come from a man living an easy life. It comes from a man in chains, who learned that the peace of God is real even when nothing in his external situation gave him reason for peace. Tonight, Lord, I claim this peace. Rejoice in the Lord always. Always. Even when. Even in. The joy is not in the circumstances; it is in the Lord. He does not change. The joy is available even when joy is not the natural response. Again I will say, Rejoice. Saint Paul knew this is hard, so he repeated himself. Rejoice. As an act of will. As a discipline. As a defiance of despair. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Greek word is sometimes translated as gentleness, sometimes forbearance. The unanxious presence. The person who does not get rattled. The Lord is at hand. Two ways to read this. First, the Lord is near, present, with us right now. Second, the Lord is coming, the second advent is at hand. Both are true. The Lord is here, and the Lord is coming. Either way, my anxiety is misplaced. Do not be anxious about anything. About anything. The total. Not about the big things. Not about the small things. Not about the future things. Not about the past things. About anything. But in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. The recipe for peace. In everything. Not just in the spiritual moments. In every situation. By prayer and supplication. Talk to God about it. Bring the request. Ask. Specifically. With thanksgiving. Even before the answer comes. Gratitude is the bridge from anxiety to peace. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. The peace surpasses understanding. It does not come from understanding the situation. It does not come from the situation being resolved. It transcends understanding. It is given by God directly to the heart and mind. It guards. The Greek word is military. It is a sentinel. It posts itself at the door of the heart and mind, keeping the disturbing thoughts out, keeping the peace within. Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, think about these things. The mind is the battleground. What I dwell on shapes who I am. So Saint Paul gives me a filter. True. Honorable. Just. Pure. Lovely. Commendable. Excellent. Worthy of praise. The opposite list is what bombards me. False. Dishonorable. Unjust. Impure. Ugly. Despicable. Trivial. Worthy of contempt. The news cycle traffics in this. Social media traffics in this. Tonight I refuse to dwell on the negative. Not in denial of evil. Just in refusal to let it dominate the screen of my mind. I think about what is true. The truth of God's love. I think about what is honorable. The honor of being called His child. I think about what is lovely. The beauty of creation. The kindness in human faces. I think about what is excellent. The lives of the saints. The faithfulness of the people I love. The peace of God will guard me tonight. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.