Prescription for Worry Philippians 4:6

Paul the apostle gave the Philippian church members instructions concerning their day to day living in his letter to them. He told them how to work with the women in the church and to rejoice in the Lord and let their moderation be known unto all men. The Lord's return was near, and their lives were to be a witness of the salvation that is offered through Jesus' name. In chapter four and verse six Paul gives the Philippians a prescription for when they worry where we read:

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

The verse begins, “Be careful for nothing;” The idea behind the phrase “be careful” is “to be full of care, anxious or worried”, and Paul's instruction was to “be careful for nothing”. There should be nothing in the church members' lives of which they are overly concerned. In the gospel of Matthew in chapter six and verses twenty-five through thirty-four Jesus shared concerning not taking “anxious thought” about such things as clothing, food, and drink, and Paul repeats this idea with the Philippians.

The verse goes on to say, “but in every thing by prayer and supplication”. Paul did not leave the church members with only the idea of not taking “anxious thought” about things, but he provided this solution or prescription for worry. He said, “but in every thing”, and by the way, when we see “everything” we know it means “every-thing”, “by prayer” which is “talking to and sharing with God” and “supplication” which is “need, indigence, want, privation, penury, a seeking, asking, entreating, entreaty to God or to man” we are to go to God with our worries. Basically “prayer” is talking to God about our worries, and “supplication” is intensive, pleading prayer for our concerns.

The verse continues, “ with thanksgiving”. Let us note as well that Paul encourages the Philippians to include in their prayers and supplications this attitude - “with thanksgiving” which means “thankfulness or giving of thanks”. Not only were the Philippians to make their pleas, but they were to do so with grateful and thankful hearts and minds.

Finally the verse says, “let your requests be made known unto God.” Paul wrote that the Philippian church members should “let” which again means “allow, permit, or to make known” their “requests” or “petition, request, or what is required”, and they were to make these “requests” “known unto God”. It was not as though God did not already know what they would petition, but rather by an act of obedience they were to submit these desires to God Almighty.

As we think about Paul's words in this verse, perhaps we have areas in which we worry. We might even surmise that the reason God saw it appropriate to put this verse in the Bible is because he knew we would be prone to be anxious. Because we feel that we cannot handle certain situations or are inadequate for some circumstances, we worry about them and think things like this, “What if this happens? Or What if that happens? What will we do if...? and on and on it goes. Paul has given us God's solution when we worry. First, hear Him say, “Be care-full for nothing”. Second, “in every-thing pray” and make “supplication”. Third, be thankful. Sometimes in the midst of worry it is good to sit down and make a list of all the things we have rather than focusing on what we do not have. Finally, “let your request be made known unto God”. In other words, we should tell the Lord what we desire. The answer He provides may or may not be as we desire, but at least we will have put our requests before Him. If we follow this prescription when we worry, anxious thoughts will fade, however, there is a wonderful promise that is given in the next verse that we will have to wait until next time to see.

Next time Paul tells the Philippians the result of their following the prescription for worry, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow...there is more...

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