Dave spoke tonight from Philippians 4:6-8, where Paul urges us not to be anxious or overtaken by worries. When we surrender to God and to His plans, our worries can also be released to Him.
THis is done firstly by prayer, by talking to God about the things which worry us. The Message version of these versions says, ‘Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns.’ God is not interested in formulaic prayers but wants to hear our heart’s cry. He knows our needs anyway, but in articulating these needs, we often can then let go of our worries. We are to cast our cares or anxiety on the Lord (1 Pet 5:7) and to ask God for what we need (see James 4:1-2), Prayer is a great way of banishing worry!
Secondly, Paul urges the Philippians to pray with thanksgiving. As we learn contentment (1 Tim 6:6), we can be thankfull for all things (see Eph 5:20, 1 Thess 5:18). He urges the Philippians to get control of their thought life, focusing on what is good, true, noble, right, pure and praiseworthy. Our thoughts will either lead us towards God or they will lead us away from Him, towards a deeper relationship with Him or to a shallower relationship. If we learn to focus on God, then we will draw closer to Him and will find anxiety’s grip lessened in our lives.