As we continue the week of prayer, I would like to invite you to explore the following passage with me. Before we dive into the text let’s take a few moments to connect with God by asking Him to open our hearts and minds as we explore this passage in the book of Philippians. “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” Philippians 4:6-7. This passage has been a passage of hope and a passage that would make me feel at ease when I read it.
This is a time of justifiable anxiousness for people living in Ontario as we enter another lockdown to begin 2022. Anxiety or anxiousness can be defined as a feeling of worry, nervousness, or unease, typically about an imminent event or something with an uncertain outcome. This is a time that we are unsure of what is going on. The feeling of anxiousness is understandable which is part of the reason I find this passage to be so powerful and relevant at this time, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be known to God.” Let’s take a historical look at this passage. The Philippians were encompassed by foes and had tended to become daunting. Hearing these words, “Do not be anxious,” must have brought comfort and hope to the reader. Presently, as we have begun 2022, we have seen things we love to do get taken away from us. Our children and youth are back doing school remotely, we are unable to dine together and are encouraged to isolate away from non-family members. I think this would be a time for us to be anxious. Yet Scripture tells us not to be anxious about anything.
The reason why we should not be anxious is found in verse 7, “And the peace of God which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Here Paul uses a military metaphor to describe God’s peace. Will guard can be expressed in military language more accurately as “will keep guard over.” Furthermore, God’s peace will protect your heart and your mind. This verse builds on the previous notion of anxiousness. How can we, God’s people, be anxious when we have the omnipotent God keeping guard over us and protecting our hearts and our minds? God is All-Knowing and All-Powerful, yet He values each of us, and He protects our hearts and minds. We have the love of Jesus, and the love Jesus has for us is unlike the love of our spouse, children, parent, family, friend, or pet. The love of Jesus is perfect. If we have Jesus as our foundation, we truly have no need to be anxious about the things going on because we know that God is guarding us.
I am going to conclude this devotional with a challenge for each of you that read it. I challenge you to find time to pray daily about what is making you anxious. Take time and connect with Christ during this time. May the words that we read here provide comfort and ease in a time of anxiousness and fear just as it did for the Philippians. Stay rooted in prayer church family and when you feel uneasy be encouraged to know that Jesus is our Protector.