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Worry. Everybody does it. We worry about grades in school, bills and expenses, approaching deadlines, what people think of us, the political and world scene – and much more. But does worry actually ever change anything for the better? Not really. You can find lots of self-help articles about overcoming worry. But let’s see what God says about how to win over worry, in Philippians 4:6-7:
Philippians 4:6-7 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.
Worry Is Both an Emotion and a Choice
Like any emotion, worry can come from nowhere and we can’t seem to shake it. But when verse 6 says, “Don’t worry about anything,” that is a command. A command is not addressed to the emotions, but to the will. You may not be able to stop that initial surge of emotion. But you have a choice about how to respond to your emotions: let them take over and rule our lives, or bring them under the control of your will by the power of the Holy Spirit.
God created human beings with the capacity to be concerned about things. This leads to positive action to make things better. But sin affects God-given emotions so they go beyond God’s purpose. Legitimate concern becomes worry. That’s when we have to respond with a choice: “Do not worry about anything.”
The Answer to Worry Is Prayer
The choice we make in face of worry (v.6) is to “pray about everything” – every situation in life. It mentions two aspects of prayer: trust and gratitude: “Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.” Worry puts your focus on problems and circumstances. Prayer puts the focus back on God: his love; his power; his plans; his care. We really can trust in God. And when you choose gratitude, it changes your perspective from all the things that could go wrong to all the ways that God has been good.
God Promises Peace in Place of Worry
Verse 7 states a wonderful promise: After we have taken our worries to God in prayer, God gives us peace. But this is not a magic formula. It’s not like flipping a switch. It’s more about changing our mental landscape – how we think about reality. So don’t be discouraged if you have to continue bringing your worries back to God in prayer over and over again. God’s peace is around the corner.
As you continue to choose prayer instead of worry, the emotional patterns of worry you have cultivated in the past begin to weaken. The emotions of worry will still come. But worry becomes less of an ingrained habit or an automatic response, as you learn to trust God with your worries in prayer.
- What is your initial reaction to this topic? What jumped out at you?
- In what ways is worry a “choice”?
- Why do you think we sometimes don’t want to pray when we are worried/anxious?
- Read Philippians 4:6-7. How can prayer give us peace of mind?
- Write a personal action step based on this conversation.
