When we're focused on all the things that might happen, and when all those possibilities seem negative, we lose focus on God and what He's actually doing. Paul gives several insights into how to keep life centered on Jesus.
First, Paul says to rejoice. Second, Paul says to rejoice. Apparently we need to focus on the good that's happening, and to recognize God's work in our lives.
Then, Paul says to be "gentle" or to exhibit "moderation." This includes being reasonable under pressure. And it includes being satisfied with less than our due. Perhaps one of the causes of anxiety is the need to "get what's coming to us." If we make up our minds in advance that God may ask us for sacrifices of our own "rights," maybe we'll be less worried about how to maintain those rights.
Before going on, Paul reminds the readers that "The Lord is near."
This probably refers to Jesus' eventual return. It also reminds us that, with the presence of the Holy Spirit in a believer, Jesus is always close to us.
Rather than worry, Paul suggests we pray. There should be an element of worship in our prayers, recognizing God's presence. Then, we are encouraged to make our requests known to God. This suggests that giving up anxiety does not mean pretending everything is perfect in life. But rather than seeing the bad and wondering "What if?", we should be seeing the bad and taking it to God. And we are to be thankful, which puts us back in the "rejoice" mindset.
When we let God handle the problems, we can expect His peace to guard our hearts and minds. The word for "guard" is a military term, as in a sentry at his post. But it also gave us the image of God keeping our heart whole.
The class discussion included the example of defensive driving. We are expected to be aware of our surroundings, taking appropriate action when it is required, but not living in a constant state of tension for everything that might go wrong.
We also distinguished between trusting God and being oblivious. One way to be carefree is to pay no attention to what's going on around us. That appears to be irresponsibility, not God-centered faith.
We noted that Jesus told His followers not to worry about tomorrow, but He also had the disciples gather up twelve baskets of leftovers, presumably for future use. There is an appropriate element of planning ahead, but the future is not to rob us of the pleasures God offers today.
Next, Paul gives us a list to take us beyond ourselves. We can focus on positive, inspiring thoughts, reminding ourselves what we love about life. Looking for things that are "true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable" will take us beyond our narrow concerns to God's larger world.
Finally, Paul tells the Philippians to use him as their example. Perhaps we would do well to find our own examples to follow. We need to remember that any human being has flaws. We must be careful not to offer any person the total trust and admiration that belongs only to God. But we also need to look beyond ourselves to the good that others display.
The class mentioned two takeaways this week:
When confronted by anxiety, we need to pray and give it to God. And then, we need to remember that it has been given to Him.
Anxiety is us trying to solve problems on our own.
When Paul says to look at what he's done, he adds "and do it." It's not enough just to think about all the wonders that surround us. We're also supposed to ACT like we're following God, too.
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