“Be anxious for nothing…” (Philippians 4:6)
Its the year 2020, we were anxious for nothing. Suddenly, the world stopped. A wave of death had been unleashed, much of it caused by forced isolation. Fear and anxiety were at peak levels. I lost my wife, my sons lost their mother, and my granddaughter lost her “Honey.” I was in the middle of my own personal mind renewal project while these things took place. In much of my future writing, you will hear about my journey and what I’ve been learning along the way.
I would be negligent if I only quoted “Be anxious for nothing” and left out the whole passage.
“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things. The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.” (Philippians 4:4-9)
So much of what I’ve been learning these past ten years or so can be found in that section of scripture. It is important that we take our time looking at it line by line.
He is near.
According to the Apostle Paul, I can choose whether or not to be anxious. That is some good news! What do you do when you feel your anxiety level increasing? Do you medicate? Watch funny goat videos? Isolate yourself? Or bury the anxious thought while you look to your favorite social media influencer for advice?
“Anxiety in a man’s heart weighs it down, But a good word makes it glad.” (Proverbs 12:25)
That sounds encouraging, but where can I go to get a good word?
Paul says, “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near.” (Philippians 4:4-5)
The Lord is near. I know that some interpret that to mean the Lord is coming soon. I believe it means exactly what it says…the Lord is near.
“God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble.” (Psalms 46:1)
He is very present. He is near.
We can experience His nearness, His presence. Something began to shift in my soul when I began the practice of coming to Jesus first thing every morning. Upon waking, I fill my cup with coffee and sit down with Him. No news, no social media, just us. When I first began this practice, I had to learn how to be loved by Him. To be His Beloved.
As I began to learn how to be loved I learned how to be still. When I am still, I can hear the words that come from the mouth of The Word Himself! He is good and He is love.
Next time, we will dive deeper into what it means to “be anxious for nothing.”
The Lord is near.
Kevin