Anxiety and the Peace of God
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 minds in Christ Jesus.
~ Philippians 4:6-7 ~
Paul deals with two opposite spiritual states of mind - anxiety and the Peace of God. Anxiety is debilitating both emotionally and mentally. It can also harm our physical health. The antidote is the Peace of God which is received through prayer with thanksgiving for all that God has done for us. Since Paul was addressing the Philippian Church it implies that corporate prayer may be in view. After all, we are told to 'bear one another's burdens'.
Sometimes, medical help may be of assistance in stabilizing clinical depression. The late Martin Lloyd-Jones, who was used mightily by God in winning multitudes to Christ, recognized the difference between spiritual and clinical depression in his book 'Spiritual Depression, it's causes and cure'. Having noted this, most of our anxiety is not clinical in nature but due to spiritual misperception, forgetting God's great love for us in Christ!
The more we thank God for our wonderful salvation in The Lord Jesus Christ and bring our requests to Him, the more we will experience the peace of God which passes understanding.
_____
Written by Pastor Frank Humphrey.
Posted posthumously.