Thu, Oct 15, 2009
Worry: Not Allowed
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. Philippians 4:6-7, NASB
Sometimes it’s tempting to use the Bible like a “Christianity for Dummies” book that has a step by step guide on how to do Christianity. We can’t do Christianity that way. The Bible is more like a really long letter from a person who’s rescuing us and who loves us. When people use the Bible like a car manual, this is one of their favorite verses because its so plain and there are clear instructions that are so easy to foll…… Wait a minute—this is one of the most difficult instructions in the Bible to actually follow (aside from “be perfect like my heavenly father is perfect”).
At times I’ve experienced real “insomnia producing” anxiety and have had people glibbly dole this verse out to me like they don’t know why I haven’t already invoked this solution. Like this verse is the rule to follow and my anxiety makes me the breaker of the rule and on top of everything else, I should be corrected. Spouting this verse out of context to those in need is like giving a bandaid to an amputee.
I do believe this verse is true and good and has great value to us here and now, but not just as a set of instructions on how to ward off anxiety or as a rule we can follow and then check it off our to do list. The next part of this section “in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God” isn’t simply a means to the peaceful end we desire, because that would miss the greater call.
These verses describe the kind of relationship we can have with God. We can tell him anything and everything and should—not as a rule, but because our relationship with him is that intimate. This relationship will bring us an increasing amount of peace as the relationship grows to a place where we become more thankful and more willing to go to God with all our struggles and needs. Like any relationship this will develop over time.
We can’t drum up peace of mind by following rules. I know—I’ve tried. When we pray to God, let’s start where we are and we’ll see God meet us there in gentleness and love with his incomprehensible peace.
Sometimes it’s tempting to use the Bible like a “Christianity for Dummies” book that has a step by step guide on how to do Christianity. We can’t do Christianity that way. The Bible is more like a really long letter from a person who’s rescuing us and who loves us. When people use the Bible like a car manual, this is one of their favorite verses because its so plain and there are clear instructions that are so easy to foll…… Wait a minute—this is one of the most difficult instructions in the Bible to actually follow (aside from “be perfect like my heavenly father is perfect”).
At times I’ve experienced real “insomnia producing” anxiety and have had people glibbly dole this verse out to me like they don’t know why I haven’t already invoked this solution. Like this verse is the rule to follow and my anxiety makes me the breaker of the rule and on top of everything else, I should be corrected. Spouting this verse out of context to those in need is like giving a bandaid to an amputee.
I do believe this verse is true and good and has great value to us here and now, but not just as a set of instructions on how to ward off anxiety or as a rule we can follow and then check it off our to do list. The next part of this section “in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God” isn’t simply a means to the peaceful end we desire, because that would miss the greater call.
These verses describe the kind of relationship we can have with God. We can tell him anything and everything and should—not as a rule, but because our relationship with him is that intimate. This relationship will bring us an increasing amount of peace as the relationship grows to a place where we become more thankful and more willing to go to God with all our struggles and needs. Like any relationship this will develop over time.
We can’t drum up peace of mind by following rules. I know—I’ve tried. When we pray to God, let’s start where we are and we’ll see God meet us there in gentleness and love with his incomprehensible peace.
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