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Anxious-free Living

(Overcomer Wu)

“Be Anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer, petition, with thanksgiving...” Philippians 4:6

Our Lord commanded us to “Be anxious for nothing.” This does not by any means imply that we may be careless, thoughtless or unconcerned about everything. Rather, the meaning is not to be anxious about anything. There is a fine line between caring and being anxious. We know for sure that we have crossed the line when some matter has occupied our hearts and mind day in and day out; and it even keeps us awake at night. To care for something is to bring the matter of concern to the Lord and let Him handle it and direct you according to the good pleasure of His will. This is one of the privileges of the children of God. We are encouraged, not only encouraged but exhorted, not only exhorted but commanded (the original Greek tense is in the imperative), to bring all our cares, sorrows, trials, and wants to our heavenly Father. We are to roll all our burdens upon God and to cast all our cares upon Him.

With this great privilege, we have no need to be anxious about anything. However many or varied our difficulties or necessities may be, we should commit them all in believing prayer to God. We are not to be anxious. One of the reasons why we ought not live a life of anxiety is because it is impossible to be anxious without dishonoring God. If the worldly people see that we Christians are anxious like they are, they will have grounds for saying that our profession of having an Almighty Friend and Helper in heaven is futile and empty. Therefore we dishonor God by not trusting in Him in times of need.

Note while the commandment is not to be anxious about anything, it does not end there. We are further commanded to bring everything before God in prayer, petition with thanksgiving. Thus the main crux of this command is not to make us careless but to teach us to lean upon God alone. As we take the promise literally, "Be anxious about nothing, but in everything by prayer..." we shall wholly confide and trust in the Lord with all our hearts. Trust in our heavenly Father, look to Him, confide in Him, knowing that He will help and intervene in His own time and in His way. If we roll all our burdens upon God and cast all our care upon Him, it is inevitably that we will be freed from anxiety.

"But in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God." Notice especially the word "everything." It is not only great and important matters we are to bring before God, not simply small things but "everything." Therefore, all our affairs, temporal or spiritual, need to be brought before God. Our lives are mostly comprised of many little things punctuated by a few major events or incidences. If we attempt to stand in our own strength under little trials we shall find them even too heavy for us to bear and we shall either be crushed or stumbled and fall, which will bring further dishonor to God.

We may think that we can cope with a few simple problems here and shoulder a few little burdens there, before long we will realize that the weight has increased astronomically beyond our ability to bear. God puts a pound weight of trial upon us and if we take it up and lay it on the shoulders of our heavenly Father it is gone. But if, on the other hand, we attempt to carry it ourselves, what will the result be? Slowly and perhaps imperceptibly the weight will increase to ten pounds. And if we still try to carry it, it will increase to a hundred pounds. If we continue to try to stagger under it in our own strength, it will increase still more, in order to teach us to cast all our burdens and anxiety upon God. Therefore it is so deeply important that we practice: "in everything, by prayer and supplication, to let your requests be made known to God." When we encounter any little burdens let us humble ourselves and tell our heavenly Father, "I have no strength for this weight, I cannot carry the burden." Our heavenly Father is always ready alleviate the burden off our shoulder.

Furthermore, we especially have to notice that prayer and supplication is to be coupled with thanksgiving. That is, we should lay the foundation in the way of thanksgiving and upon that place the superstructure of prayer and supplication. We should praise the Lord for what He has given us already by faith even while we have yet to see the physical evidence. For “faith is the conviction of things not seen” (Heb 11:1). We are frequently remiss in this matter. We forget to render praise to our heavenly Father for the answered prayers He has already shown us through the eyes of faith.

The following verse, Philippians 4:7, shows us the precious result if we do offer thanksgiving from our hearts. "The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." The idea of a garrison is in the original Greek word "keep." It means that our hearts shall be kept by the peace of God, as a garrison keeps a fortress. The men of this world and even some children of God who do not know these truths and do not ask for this peace, are wretched, miserable and anxious about like people in a frenetic frenzy when troubles come. We, the children of God who know these precious truths, are able to calmly wait on the Lord and leave ourselves quietly in His hands. The peace of God shall garrison our hearts in place of a frantic state of unrest. Instead of being overwhelmed with crushing anxieties, our hearts will be at peace as the result of prayer and praise. Thus, we experience the peace which passes all understanding. Having obtained the peace of God, we shall have the peace of God train our hearts and mind in Christ Jesus; at the same time, it will keep out the fiery darts of the evil one which are arimed at robbing away this peace from us.

Praise the Lord we have such a Friend Who cares for us! He is willing and able to help us and to deliver us in His own time and way. This is the very reason why we need not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer, and petition with thanksgiving.

"He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?” (Rom 8:32).