To be, or not to be Anxious

In his conclusion to Philippians, Paul writes “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

Rejoicing and peace, rather than anxiety are the mark of the people of God. Our loving and powerful God is near, and we can call on him in prayer. Or as Peter says, “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.”

We imagine Paul (and Peter) to be so dependent upon God, and prayerful, they are above anxiety.

Paul writes to the Philippians out of concern. His concerns move him to action. Paul writes “Therefore I am all the more eager to send him, so that when you see him again you may be glad and I may have less anxiety (2:28). ”

To the Corinthians, Paul writes “I have laboured and toiled and have often gone without sleep…. Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches (2 Cor 11:27-28).”

So is it appropriate for Christians to be anxious or not? Scripture presents us with a tension. On the one hand, God is sovereign and powerful, and we are not. A self-trusting activism that imagines we can solve our problems is misplaced, and results in anxiety and worry. The remedy for this is to cast our cares and concerns on God in prayer, finding peace in trusting him.

But this does not lead to a ‘let-go and let-God’ passivity. Anxiety can be a gut reaction that something is awry, and is a call to attentiveness and readiness for action. A prayerful considered active response – one that appreciates that it is precisely because God is building that we ought also to build (Ps 127:1).

By Rev. David Rietveld