I know what it’s like to feel anxious.
It’s like your entire body is just tensing up and you can’t relax—you’re just waiting for something bad to happen. And then when you finally do relax, it’s only because subconsciously you’ve decided that whatever was going to happen isn’t going to happen anymore.
That’s not exactly a great feeling.
Do Not Be Anxious About Anything
But I’m here today with some good news: God has a plan for your anxiety! He has a way of helping you not only deal with it but overcome it and move beyond it into a place where you can actually enjoy life again.
So what does he say? The Bible says in Philippians 4:6-7: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”
It doesn’t say “don’t ever be anxious,” but rather “don’t be anxious about anything.” That means that if something makes you feel anxious, instead of allowing yourself to spiral into worry, fear, frustration, or any other negative emotion, bring that thing up before God.
Today’s verse is a call to be intentional about bringing every worry, every need, and everything that invokes anxiety to God in prayer and thanksgiving.
Thanksgiving With Anxiety
It seems counterintuitive, that thanksgiving is included in this verse. Shouldn’t I thank him after I have received something or my expectation has been met? At least, that’s what we’ve been taught all our lives. To say thank you, after someone has done something for you.
But no! God’s asking us to bring your requests with prayer, petition (that’s asking) and thanksgiving. What should I thank Him for you might ask? Well, you can Thank Him for hearing you, for loving you, for the privilege of coming into His presence and you can thank Him in advance for answering your prayer.
Thanking Him reminds me that I have trusted him with my needs. It eases the pressure of needing something done right away and the helplessness I feel knowing that I can’t fix this on my own. This is not a one-and-done formula—every time anxiety knocks on the door (and it will), rinse and repeat!
Philippians 4:7 tells us that after you’ve done this…the peace of God will keep your heart and mind in Christ Jesus. Amen!
So today, if anxiety is threatening to overwhelm you, I encourage you to commit this scripture to memory and remind yourself over and over again to present your needs to God, through prayer, petition and thanksgiving.
Amen.
