OVERCOMING ANXIETY PART 3: "Prescription for Peace"

Have no anxiety 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 passes all understanding, will keep your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7

In our first meditation on overcoming anxiety we saw that anxiety is a toxic emotion that none of us can afford to indulge in. Then in our second meditation we saw that, thanks be to God, there is an antidote to anxiety: the peace of God which passes all understanding. The question remaining to be addressed is: how can I, in a very practical way, experience the peace of God in stressful times?

Fortunately, Paul provides us with a simple, step-by-step method for experiencing God’s peace:

Step 1: “Have no anxiety about anything;” that is, recognize the presence of anxiety in your heart and prepare to deal with it at once. Sometimes it can be very helpful to list everything you've been stressing about on a piece of paper.

Step 2: “In everything by prayer and supplication … let your requests be made known to God;” that is, turn your anxiety into prayer. Go down your list and make each item the subject of a simple, direct prayer. Be as specific as possible. For example: “God, I am worried about my son because (fill in the blank) and I put his well-being in your loving hands.”

Step 3: “With thanksgiving.” Heartily thank God for hearing and answering your prayer. Do not neglect this step. Gratitude is a powerful spiritual weapon in the battle against anxiety.

The result? Scripture’s promises that the peace of God will guard your hearts and minds in Christ.

Sound too simple to be true? Here’s how it works.

Everything you are anxious about is like a heavy stone in a canvas bag you are carrying on your back. The more things you are worried about the more you will be weighed down and crushed by the load. As you turn these “stones” into prayers, you are putting them into God’s hand and allowing Him to do the heavy lifting. Thus you empty your bag of stones and lighten your load.

But what if I pick the stones back up again? Most likely you will at first. Simply go back to step 1 and repeat the process – again and again if necessary. Remember: this is a spiritual discipline that takes practice. But be assured that the more you practice these principles, the more you will overcome anxiety and experience the wonderful peace of God.

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OVERCOMING ANXIETY PART 2: "The Antidote for Anxiety"

Have no anxiety 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 keep your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:6-7

In our last post we saw that anxiety is one of the most destructive of human emotions. It is toxic and wreaks havoc on us – spirit, soul and body. Hence Scripture exhorts us: do not be anxious about anything.

The good news is that there is an antidote to this poisonous emotion: the peace of God.

It’s important to understand that the peace of God is not a humanly manufactured state of mind. The peace of God, insists Paul,  surpasses all understanding; that is, the unaided human mind cannot comprehend it nor attain it. Rather, it is God’s own peace, a heavenly peace, imparted by the Holy Spirit to one’s innermost self.

Nor is the peace of God the mere absence of stress, like the calming of a lake after the wind stops blowing. That is nothing more than the relief that comes from a change of circumstance. The peace of God, rather, keeps us rooted, grounded and calm in the midst of the storm -- while the wind is still blowing! That truly is beyond understanding.

This peace, says Paul, keeps our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. The word keeps, which is translated guards in some translations, is a military term. It means that the peace of God is like a garrison, a mighty fortress that shields and protects. Specifically, it guards both our hearts (our deepest personal center) and our minds (our thought life) in Christ Jesus.

How wonderful it is to know, then, that there is an antidote for the anxiety that can so easily overwhelm us. The question is: how can I experience the peace of God on a practical, everyday level?

Fortunately, Paul answers that question for us and it will be the subject of our next One Minute Meditation. So stay tuned.