It’s a difficult truth to swallow, but every single person on the face of the earth will wrestle with anxiety, worry, and fear.
Fear and anxiety are natural responses to some of life’s toughest situations. But left unchecked, uncontrolled worry will rob you of joy and prevent you from enjoying the abundant life God wants for you.
It’s interesting, the word ‘worry’ comes from the old Anglo-Saxon word wurgen. It means to choke or strangle, like a wolf at the throat of its prey.
What a vivid picture of what worry does in our lives… because the truth is that worry will strangle and choke the life right out of you!
People are anxious and easily troubled today. People are increasingly burdened and broken, overwhelmed and over- extended. We are worried, we are wearied, we are fearful, we are fatigued.
The early Christians living in the city of Philippi can relate. They faced some pretty big challenges of their own, times filled with fear and uncertainty. That’s why what the Apostle Paul said to them applies so well to our lives today.
In Philippians 4:6-7 we find a powerful passage that I believe provides the biblical antidote for anxiety, the prescription for peace in our lives.
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your request be made known to God. And the peace of God which surpasses all understanding will guard your heart and your mind in Christ Jesus.”
Did you notice Paul’s prescription for battling worry? We can sum it up in two words:
Grateful prayer
This passage instructs us not to be anxious, but instead to pray about everything with thanksgiving. In other words, be a worshipper, not a worrier! Turn your worry into prayers! If you have time enough to worry, you have time enough to pray!
Paul goes on to say in Philippians 4:19, “My God shall supply all of your needs according to His riches in glory in Jesus Christ.”
God promises to provide for your every need – physically, financially, emotionally. So all those things that you’re worried about… hear God say, “I’ll take care of this. Trust Me. Worship Me. Pray.”
Don’t let the wolf of worry choke the life and joy out of you. Instead, go to God in grateful prayer.
The ability to say “thank you, Lord” is one of the greatest blessings in the life of a Christian. God’s peace is something you can’t get anywhere else.
It’s something that only God gives. It’s the peace that surpasses understanding. As a Christian you can live with the confidence and hope of heaven no matter what circumstances you face.
And hope wins!
If you’d like to diver deeper into God’s remedies for helping you navigate the stress of today’s world, I invite you to request my 8-message series Help! Hope and Healing for Life’s Challenges.
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