February 7
Philippians 4.4-9
4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable — if anything is excellent or praiseworthy — think about such things. 9 Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me — put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.
It is so easy to fall into anxiety. There are many concerning things going on in the world. In the larger world we see the conflicts and wars. We see floods in some places, droughts in others.
We look close by and we see that we don’t measure up to our own expectations, let alone the expectations of others. Everything seems to be changing around us. We see people closing off and resisting progress, living in fear. We and/or others around us are suffering. Life is hard, wherever we look.
Paul tells us not to be anxious about anything. We may seem anxious about everything. We often look at this text and move to the response of prayers. That is very proper and will be where we need to be. But we miss the words that come before the statement of not being anxious. The Lord is near.
Not near, as in right around the corner. Not that if we call, he’ll be here in a minute. Near. Right with us. His Spirit is with us, even in us. The Lord is near. This is why the prayers are effective in taking away our anxiety. We are not leaving a message and he’ll get to it when he gets in. He stands with us and hears right now. He is with us right now as we live in each moment. Here’s my hand, resting in his, right now. Why be anxious when he is that near to us, always?
The Lord is near to us now. Lay the burdens we have in his hands. Let go of the worries we have for us, for his world. Be in his presence and know that he never leaves. And the God of peace will be with you.
Song – Be Still My Soul
Prayer
The LORD reigns, he is robed in majesty;
the LORD is robed in majesty
and is armed with strength.
The world is firmly established;
it cannot be moved.
Your throne was established long ago;
you are from all eternity.
Your statutes stand firm;
holiness adorns your house
for endless days, O LORD.
—Psalm 93:1-2, 5, NIV