“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near. 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 4:4-7

Rejoicing need not be confused with perpetual happiness. If happiness is the measure, then most of us are often sadly lacking, even as the apostle Paul was. He dared state that he had moments when he despaired even of life (2 Corinthians 1:8).

Rejoicing can accurately be described as an abiding optimism. It ever remains focused on the inevitable outcome, even while at times grinding through life’s most severe trials. It is a kingdom-focused attitude: in the end, the kingdom will come, the dead will be raised, living believers will be changed, and Christ will be king over all the earth.

This rejoicing attitude serves as a witness to frantic non-believers in that they will note our gentle and peaceful attitude. A key component in this gentle spirit is an awareness of the nearness of Christ, and of our total reliance on prayer. As we bring everything to God in prayer amidst anxiety-inducing circumstances, we are permeated with an unexplainable peace that guards our emotions and mindset.

It all sounds so good, but how hard it is as times to practice! It is generally true that the older we get, the more prone we are to worry. For some reason, these worries are especially manifested at night; often resulting in sleeplessness. Surely there is a better remedy than a dose of melatonin, or other sleep-inducing medication.

The answer to anxiety is found in the all-inclusive phrase, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer.” The words, “nothing” and “everything” loom large; they are absolutes. Problems result when we mentally modify these words to say something like, “Be anxious for a few things, but largely by prayer …” It is natural confidence and even arrogance to think that no one can better handle our problems than ourselves. God can be trusted with the big things, but lesser things are best handled at a lower level by ourselves; mostly through worry. And, what good does worry do? “And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life?” Matthew 6:27. Worry contributed to high blood pressure, stress, and a host of other physical problems. The irony is that worry can subtract a “single hour” (or much more), rather than add it.

It is said that prayer, for many people, is a last resort rather than a first response. If we would reduce stress and anxiety, then the Philippians 4 prescription for prayer is the answer. May we fill the prescription and use as needed.

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