Be Careful for Nothingby Jeff Robb

Reflection

Paul wrote these words from prison. He didn't know whether he would be released or put to death. And yet his letter to the Philippians is full of joy. A few verses earlier he says, Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice.

Then he writes, Be careful for nothing. In the King James Bible, careful means full of care. Anxious. Worried. So Paul is saying, don't be anxious about anything.

That can sound impossible. How do you just stop worrying? But Paul doesn't leave it there. He tells us what to do instead. In every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.

Notice how wide that is. In every thing. Not just the big emergencies. The small worries too. The bill, the appointment, the conversation you're dreading, the child who hasn't called. If it's big enough to worry about, it's big enough to pray about.

Notice also the words with thanksgiving. Paul doesn't say to wait until the answer comes and then say thank you. He says to bring thanks along with the request. Thanking God while we ask reminds us of what He has already done, and that steadies us for what we're asking now.

Then comes the promise. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

That word keep is a guarding word. It's the picture of a soldier standing watch. God's peace stands guard over our hearts and minds. And it passeth all understanding. That means it doesn't always make sense on paper. The situation may not have changed yet. But the heart is kept.

Paul doesn't promise that every request will be answered the way we want. He promises peace. And that peace isn't the absence of trouble. It's the presence of God in the middle of it.

Worry tends to go around in circles. We turn a problem over and over and end up right where we started. Prayer takes that same problem and puts it in God's hands.

So today, when you catch yourself worrying, turn it into a prayer right then. Name the thing. Ask God plainly. Thank Him for something He has already done. And then let His peace stand guard.

Cross-references

1 Peter 5:7; Isaiah 26:3; Matthew 6:34