Pastor Tom Johnson, October 15, 2023
Our Scripture from Philippians reminds us of one of the greatest threats to humanity: anxiety. But it gives us some of the greatest antidote. It begins with Paul urging two women who work alongside Paul in the work of the Gospel. They are no longer of the same mind. We do not know what the disagreement was between them. But Paul begins by urging them—pleading with them to reconcile—to be unified in heart, mind, and in the Lord.
If we lack peace in our hearts and minds, we should first look at our relationships. Harboring bitterness, resentment, retribution will rob us of peace. Jesus taught us to pray for God to forgive us as we forgive others. We cannot have personal peace without interpersonal peace. Anxious thoughts will arise when we have unresolved tension—wrongs that need to be confessed—hurt that needs to be addressed. So the toxicity between Euodia and Syntyche was threatening to rob the whole community of peace and joy.
Our Scripture begins with the first antidote to worry: joy in the Lord. “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice!” Joy invites us to look around and see the goodness and greatness of God. That is one thing that never changes: God is always worthy of our wonder and praise. Joy invites us to marvel at creation. Look at the stars, the sunrise, the moon, the ocean, the forests, all creatures great and small. Find joy in creation. Find joy in the Creator. He sent his Son to take on our sin, our suffering, and death itself and rose again so that we will not be paralyzed by fear but know that our eternal future is secure. Rejoice in the Lord!
It won’t hurt our anxiety to be gentle and kind toward others—to love one another as we want to be loved and as Christ sacrificially and selflessly loved us to be compassionate and gracious like Jesus. Kindness is another antidote to worry.
“Do not worry about anything.” It’s right there in our Scripture. So it must be attainable. It is a promise: nothing should rob us of peace of mind and tranquility of heart. As Jesus says in his Sermon on the Mount, “do not worry about your life” (Matthew 6:25).
Another antidote to anxiety is prayer. Prayer is talking to God. Tell God your worries. Tell him what has us up at night and what is stealing our joy and our peace. God wants to open the floodgates of peace more than we do. He wants to remove obstacles to our experiencing his abiding peace. “Do not worry about anything…but in everything” pray “with thanksgiving. Worry about nothing. Pray about everything. Pray remembering—not what is troubling you but—what is blessing you.
The key ingredient in a worry-demolishing and anxiety-crushing prayer is gratitude. Pray with gratitude for all the gifts we enjoy. It will help us to see through all that is going wrong to recognize the good. It will re-wire our brains to not focus exclusively on the negative. It will help us to let go of the things we cannot control. When I told my grandmother about my worries, she never told me I had nothing to worry about as a teenager. She would remind me to count my blessings. We cannot have joy and peace without gratitude. We cannot say “gratitude” without “attitude.” Let’s not wait until the fourth Thursday in November to celebrate Thanksgiving. In another Scripture, Paul says, “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-17).
Our Scripture is an invitation to set aside time in our busy lives for prayerful contemplation—to be intentional about what we allow our minds to focus on: “whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable—any excellence and worthy of praise, think about these things.”
“And the peace of God which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” This is a peace the world cannot give—an unworldly peace—an incomprehensible peace. This is not a peace that we manufacture. It’s not a peace that comes from figuring out the riddle of life. It’s not a peace because all is well in the world. It’s the peace God gives. It’s supernatural peace. It’s transcendent peace. It’s a peace that does not depend on life’s circumstances. It’s a peace that can coexist along with all the demands and concerns of this world. Paul says that this peace will “guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” This is no intellectual exercise. It’s living our daily lives in prayerful connection to him who took on all the trouble and sin of the world to the Cross. It’s awareness of the peace and joy of him who rose from the dead and says, “I make all things new.”
This is a great Scripture to challenge God to fulfill what he promises—to pray that God would open our eyes and our hearts to the wonder all around us so that we would find joy—even in the smallest things—things we might have missed—to pray and search our own lives for things to be grateful for—even the smallest things—things we might have missed—to pray through the worry and anxiety—to pray and find the peace—from the Prince of Peace—who transcends all human comprehension.
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