WORRY OR FEAR

Be careful for nothing; but in
every thing by prayer and
supplication let your requests
be made known unto God.

And the peace of God, which
passeth all understanding, shall
keep your hearts and minds
through Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:6-7

We've been looking at Philippians on these Fridays of our isolation time. I almost feel guilty coming to this passage, but it couldn't be left out of looking at this sweet letter from Paul to the Philippian church. These may be verses we have had quoted to us at times, perhaps used for some ulterial reasons, but never-the-less worthy of our consideration.

I am assured that no matter what God commands of us in Scripture, as impossible as it may seem, God will enable us to do what He asks of us. The Holy Spirit is more than willing to come along side of us with His power that enables our obedience. I don't want to be discouraging looking at these verses. They are two of the most hopeful verses we could latch onto.

As I read and pondered these two verses, something really struck me about verse 6. This has been the worry-wart verse for many. I understand in the KJV, the word “anxious” refers to worrying. I asked myself in this process, “Is worry (anxious) the real problem?” I reviewed times when I struggled with real bouts of worry. It may have had to do with career, finances, health issues or family concerns. (And don't we love that word “concern?”) In every instance of being anxious or filled with worry, it dawned on me that worry wasn't the root problem.

Worry is just the fruit of something else. That something covers a lot of things in our lives we think of as worry. I have come to the conclusion for myself (and you my come to the same conclusion) that the root of all worry is fear. All my anxious cares and laying asleep at night with a worry on my mind still traces back to the thing of fear.

For we Christians, fear, especially in our everyday situations is saying, “God can't handle this.” We may feel our worry accomplishes some positive thing in our lives, but my worry has never solved a problem in my life. Paul gives us some steps that bring us to some very positive outcomes.

Paul tells us to not worry (or be anxious). This means coming to grips with and recognizing the problem. We can't solve a thing until we admit the problem. He then says simply to pray, bringing our need to God with an appreciative spirit, being honest with God. How many times when having a difficulty has someone told us to pray about it. We might think even now that we've tried that and it just didn't work. Back up time...remember that praying in the right spirit is essential, and honesty before God not just regarding our request but regarding our own attitude is a must.

Then in verse 7 comes the wonderful promises. When we've sincerely prayed, we can back off, leaving it in God's capable hands. Result: peace of God. It's a peace beyond anyone's understanding, even our own. I believe that peace can be a blessing even to the point that those who know our struggles will sense the peace in us that only God can give.

Scripture is full of anti-fear verses that I won't copy but II Timothy 1:7 is a great place to begin.. I do know that fear is of Satan and when we live in fear regarding anything, we really contribute to Satan's ego trip. I never want him to have any victory in my life. I want us to follow the path Paul has put out for us to follow, a path of peace, loving God more than ever before. For we women, victory over any fear is hard to walk away from. It means recognizing it as sin confessing it as such and trusting the power of the Holy Spirit to enable us to walk in victory.

Thank You Father, for the comfort You have been in these special days of being so isolated from other people. Thank You even more that in our isolation time, You have never left us for one moment. We praise You for being in charge of our every circumstances knowing that You do all things well and we need have no fear. In Jesus precious name....Amen