There are verses we run to in an emergency, and then there are verses that stand there,
waiting, long before the crisis shows up. They're like a lighthouse on a shoreline.
The storm may not be here yet, but the light is already sweeping across the water,
steady and patient, ready for the night you need it.
Welcome to Verses We Missed. I'm your host, your OG Godcaster, Steve Webb.
Every week we slow down and spend time with the quieter parts of Scripture
or with familiar verses that deserve a fresh look.
The goal is simple, to help you see the Bible with clearer eyes.
and to give you what I like to call a midweek breath of Scripture and grace.
Today we're not only looking at Philippians 4, verses 6 and 7,
we're going to linger with them for a while.
This two-verse section of Scripture is one of those lighthouses I alluded to a moment ago.
The storm may not be here yet, but the light is already sweeping across the water,
steady and patient, ready for the night you need it.
You may have Philippians 4, 6, and 7 on a mug or on a card someone gave you when you were in a hard season.
You may have quoted it to someone else.
You may have heard it so many times that your eyes slide right past it.
But if you have ever lain awake at 2 in the morning with your mind racing,
or stared at your phone dreading a call,
or sat in a waiting room replaying every what-if you can imagine,
this verse is for you.
Let us listen to it slowly. Do not be anxious about anything, 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 understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Okay, so let's set the scene. Before we talk about anxiety and peace, we have to remember who
is writing these words and where he is. The Apostle Paul is not on vacation when he says,
do not be anxious about anything. He is in chains. He is under guard. He does not know how this trial
will end. Philippians is one of the prison letters. Paul is writing to believers in Philippi while he
is confined and waiting on a Roman legal system that is not exactly known for being fair to
Christians. If I were in that situation, I might write a letter that sounds more like,
pray that I get out of here. This is miserable. I'm worried about what will happen next.
Instead, we get a letter that overflows with joy, and right in the middle of it,
we get this call, do not be anxious. Well, that alone tells us something important.
Whatever Paul means here, it cannot be a shallow, cheer up, things are fine.
Things were not fine, but Jesus was present.
So, how's this?
In his letter, Paul tells us something that sounds impossible.
Do not be anxious about anything.
Let's be honest.
If that's all we hear, it can feel cruel.
Maybe you've heard words used that way.
You share something heavy and someone says,
The Bible says, Do not be anxious.
And you walk away feeling not only anxious, but guilty for being anxious.
So let's clear this up. Paul is not telling you to stop feeling human. He is not telling you to
shut off your nervous system. He is not saying that real faith never has sweaty palms or a tight
chest or racing thoughts. What he is doing is turning anxiety into a doorway. Do not be anxious
about anything, but in everything, by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests
known to God. In other words, when anxiety arrives, do not keep it as a permanent guest.
Let it be the thing that drives you again and again into conversation with your Father.
Anxiety is the signal. Prayer is the response. Well, what kind of prayer? How about prayer that
sounds like real life? There's a word in this verse that I do not want us to skip over. Paul says,
In everything.
Not just in the big life decisions.
Not only when someone is in the hospital.
Not only when you have no other options.
In everything.
The meeting you're dreading.
The bill that's larger than you expected.
The child who keeps you up at night because you cannot fix what they're going through.
The scan next month.
The nagging sense that you might have missed a step somewhere along the way.
In everything, bring it to God.
And the kind of prayer Paul is talking about here is not polished and formal.
Supplication is a word we don't use very often, but it simply means pleading, asking earnestly,
bringing your need as it really is.
Sometimes it sounds like,
Lord, I'm scared.
or, Lord, I don't know what to do.
Lord, I'm so tired of feeling like this.
Lord, here is exactly what I'm afraid of.
The moment you talk to him, you are no longer alone with your anxiety.
You are not in a closed loop inside your own head anymore.
You are in a relationship, a conversation.
Fear isolates. Prayer reconnects. Now, there is a detail here that can be easy to rush past.
Paul says we bring our requests with thanksgiving. At first, that might feel unrealistic or almost
insulting. I am anxious and I am supposed to be thankful? But wait. Thanksgiving here is not
pretending everything feels fine. It is not denying the difficulty or minimizing the pain.
Thanksgiving is remembering that, even here, God has not changed. Pastor Chuck Smith put it like
this, Never trade what you know for what you don't know. Here's what that sounds like. Father,
This situation is heavy, but you have carried me before.
You have provided what I did not see away.
You have comforted me when my heart was breaking.
I do not know how you will work this out, but I know your character.
And for that, I give thanks.
You see, Thanksgiving anchors your present fear in God's past faithfulness and His present presence.
And something happens when you do that.
The problem may still be there, but you're no longer looking at it alone or in the same way.
You're looking at it while holding on to the hand of the one who has been faithful all along.
Then what happens?
And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Sometimes we treat peace like the reward that comes after everything works out.
The scan comes back clear, and then you feel peace.
The relationship is stored, and then you feel peace.
The job comes through, and then you feel peace.
But that isn't what Paul is talking about.
He says there is a peace that surpasses understanding.
In other words, a peace that does not make sense on paper.
A peace that does not match the circumstances yet.
A peace that shows up before anything around you has changed.
This peace does not wait for the situation to change.
This peace walks into the room while the situation is still unresolved.
This peace comes from God's loving, faithful, merciful heart, not from your control.
It's not something you manage into existence.
It is something God gives. And Paul says this peace will guard your hearts and your minds.
That word guard is military language. Picture a soldier standing watch at the gate of a city.
Your thoughts may still come knocking. What if this happens? What if that falls apart?
What if I can't handle it? But the peace of God stands there, and in ways you cannot fully explain,
you find that panic does not own you the way it used to.
The circumstances may be the same,
but the atmosphere inside your head and your heart is different.
Well, let's get practical for a moment.
When anxiety hits, most of us default to one of a few patterns.
Some of us go into control mode.
We open 20 tabs in our browser.
We make three backup plans.
We replay every possible outcome,
and we try to outrun the what-ifs by outworking them.
Some of us shut down.
We avoid.
We scroll, distract, numb, pretend it's not there,
or bury ourselves in work so we don't have to feel.
Some of us rehearse the worst-case scenario over and over,
almost as if we can protect ourselves by being ready for the worst.
Do you recognize yourself in at least one of those?
Paul is inviting us to a different pattern.
Not control, not shutdown, not rehearsal of disaster,
but conversation with the one who already knows every possible outcome.
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving,
let your requests be made known to God.
You can almost hear him saying,
When anxiety shows up, let that be the alarm bell that tells you it is time to talk to your father.
Now, let me offer something very simple that you can try the next time that familiar tightness or racing thought shows up.
You can even do this along with me right now.
First, notice it.
Lord, I feel anxious about this.
You might even name it specifically.
Lord, I'm anxious about that meeting tomorrow.
Lord, I'm anxious about this health issue.
Lord, I'm anxious about the future of my family.
Second, hand it to God in plain language.
Here is what I'm afraid will happen.
Here is the scenario that keeps replaying in my mind.
Here is what I cannot control.
Third, add one sentence of thanksgiving.
Thank you, Lord, that you see me.
Thank you that you have carried me through other things.
Thank you that you are not confused about my future.
Thank you that you are in the room with me right now.
Now, you still may feel some of the anxiety after that.
This is not a magic spell.
But you have obeyed Philippians 4, verses 6 and 7.
You have turned anxiety into prayer.
You have placed yourself in the path of the peace of God.
And often, sometimes slowly and sometimes surprisingly quickly, you will notice that
something inside you has unclenched.
Your circumstances may not have changed, but you have.
Listen, there's one more thing I want to say before we pray.
If you live with ongoing anxiety, especially the kind that has roots in your body chemistry
or your past trauma, it can be very easy to hear a verse like this as a verdict.
You might think, if I were a better Christian, I would not feel like this.
Beloved, that is not the voice of your Father.
Paul is not handing you a club to beat yourself up with.
He is handing you a path, a way to walk, sometimes slowly and sometimes with tears.
God is not disappointed that you need this verse often.
He is glad that you turn to Him again and again.
Every time anxiety drives you to prayer, He is not sighing and saying,
You again?
He is receiving you as a beloved son or daughter.
Let's pray.
Our Father, you see every person listening right now whose heart has been tight with worry.
You know the stories behind every racing thought, every sleepless night, every what-if.
Father, Abba, Daddy, we bring you the specific things that are weighing on us today.
The decisions, the diagnoses, the relationships, the bills, the news.
We admit that we are not in control.
We confess that we often try to carry more than we can.
Thank you that you invite us to bring everything to you.
Thank you that you do not roll your eyes at our repeated prayers.
Thank you that you are near to the brokenhearted and close to those who are afraid.
Father, we ask for the peace that comes from you, the peace that surpasses understanding,
the peace that does not wait for the situation to change.
Guard the hearts and minds of your people in Christ Jesus, Lord.
Guard them tonight.
Guard them in the morning.
Guard them in the moments when panic tries to pull them away.
Teach us, Lord, to recognize your presence in the middle of our questions.
Teach us to turn to you first, not last.
We trust you even when we do not understand.
We place these anxieties into your hands right now.
In the strong and gentle name of Jesus, we pray.
Amen.
Beloved, if this episode helped you breathe a little deeper,
if it lifted your shoulders even a little,
would you consider returning some of that value?
This is a value for value show.
There are no advertisers here, just you and me and the Lifespring family.
You can give value in three ways.
Time.
Tell someone about the show.
Share this episode with a friend who struggles with anxiety.
Mention it to your small group or your pastor.
Word of mouth is powerful.
Talent.
If you create art, photography, or anything creative that might fit the show, I would love to see it.
Maybe it can become episode art or a resource for other listeners.
Write to me at steve at lifespringmedia.com.
Treasure.
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This is a weekly show released every Tuesday at 10 p.m. Pacific,
so it's waiting for you Wednesday morning, a midweek breath of Scripture and grace.
As you go into the rest of your day or into your night,
May you remember that you are not held together by your ability to worry, but by the faithfulness of God.
May you find yourself talking to him more quickly than you used to.
May the peace of God that surpasses all understanding guard your heart and your mind in Christ Jesus.
And may God bless you richly.
My name is Steve Wapp.
Bye.