How does God say to handle anxiety? Philippians 4:6-7 is a major power verse that tells how to handle anxiety, starting with the directive, “Be anxious for nothing.” Then it provides the tools to obtain peace when anxious: prayer, supplication, and thanksgiving. In this way, we know God is with us in everyday life.
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 understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”
I woke up at 3:00 am one morning, meditating on this scripture. After about an hour, My husband Mike woke up too and we ended up having a wonderful conversation about this famous verse, discovering that the root word of “anxious” means “strangle.”
Doesn’t that make sense when you consider how anxiety makes you feel?
When I’ve had irrational anxiety, my throat felt constricted. It was like someone had their hands around my throat, cutting off my ability to breathe.
And of course, it’s hard to think rationally if you’re not getting all the oxygen you need. With the mind of anxiety, every challenge seems magnified.
So moments of anxiety are not a small thing, especially when it impacts our daily life.
Thankfully, the Lord doesn’t just tell us, “Don’t be anxious” and leave it at that. He tells us what to do when we are anxious so we can experience His divine peace.
Using ‘Be Anxious for Nothing’ to Handle Anxiety
The following article gives you 2 things to do to handle anxiety. Little did I know that I would have the opportunity to practice what I teach later that day! But more about that story later.
Here are the two things to lift the burden of anxiety according to Philippians 4:6-7:
1. Harness the power of prayer. Have a conversation with God about the anxiety-producing situation, in confidence that cares for you and will supply what you need.
2. Pray for Supplication with Thanksgiving. In your prayer request, ask God for what you need according to His Word. His word says that He supplies all of our needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus (see Philippians 4:19). Two things I typically ask God to supply are:
- Wisdom to deal with the situation according to James 1:5-8. However, according to this scripture, you must ask in faith that you will receive it: “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.”
- Peace according to John 14:27: “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid ( New King James Version ).”
This means that I can choose to let my heart be troubled and afraid or I can refuse to give the situation power to dictate my heart conditions. I want God’s endless peace to guard my heart and mind through Christ Jesus in every situation.
Strive to maintain a thankful heart rather than one of complaint. Whatever you focus on tends to magnify in your heart and mind, giving it power to control your emotions. It’s like a magnifying glass. When you are anxious, what are you directing your magnifying glass to the situation or to God?
Constant thanksgiving is a way to direct your attention to Christ Jesus, where it belongs. After all, that is where you want to draw power and strength from to help you deal with the situation.
I had an opportunity to practice this guidance yesterday. Mike and I went to a local park and I was hitting some golf balls. I thought I put my car key into my pocket. But when we got ready to leave the park, I patted my pocket to confirm the key was there – and it wasn’t.
Hello, anxiety.
But then, I remembered my meditation from that morning and resolved to put it into action. I did not want anxiety strangling me!
Mike and I made a prayer request, asking the Lord to show us where the key was. Then we started retracing my steps, searching in the grass for my key.
With every step, I affirmed my trust in God and asked for His peace and wisdom, secure in His perfect plan. I refused to allow my body to get tense and dismissed “What if” thoughts, which fuel anxiety.
After a while, Mike told me that he heard the Lord say, “The key never made it to her pocket.” He decided to go back and search the trunk of the car, which I had been in to get the balls.
However, I continued to check the grass. Then I heard Mike yell some wonderful words: “I found it!” Apparently when I leaned into the trunk, I put the key down to get the balls and never put it into my pocket as I thought.
Later on, Mike asked the Lord why He didn’t reveal the answer sooner.
Although Mike didn’t get an answer to his question immediately, he heard the Lord say in His still, small voice this morning: “I did.” Then Mike revealed that the Lord told him earlier to check the trunk, but he dismissed the thought instead. He only acted when he heard the Lord speak the second time. The problem would have been resolved sooner if we had only listened and heeded the Lord the first time!
Wow. We are amazed at how the Lord perfects His people’s concerns according to His word – both great and small.
If you are feeling anxious about anything in your everyday life, then use the scripture Philippians 4:6-7 as your prescription.
It may take time before the effects are felt, but do it anyway. It is Spiritual medicine. You will see anxiety eliminated at the source!
Be blessed in health, healing, and wholeness,
Kimberly Taylor
Author of the Take Back Your Temple program
P.S.
Is anxiety destroying your peace? It doesn’t have to!
Live every day with security, faith, and confidence with Godly perspective on life’s challenges. The Anxiety Relief Scriptures: The 30-Day Daily Devotional for Overcoming Anxiety and Worry is an easy but powerful book that will renew your mind to God’s word and help you secure His peace.
Change your life – one inspirational thought at a time.
Over 3 years since you wrote this and put it on the internet and God leads me here…..not happenstance!!!!!!! THANK YOU GOD YOU KNOW WHAT I NEED BEFORE I EVEN NEED IT! Hallelujah You are worthy of all my praise. What would I do or where would I be without your Word? God bless you Kimberly for writing as God leads you. I’m thankful for your obedience to Him
You are welcome, Ashley – God is good!
This is such an awesome word, and one I really needed. I had no idea that the word anxiety is derived from a word meaning strangle. That really gives you a visual. It will remind me to use the Word of God to loosen the hold of anxiety. God Bless!
I am glad that was helpful to you, Joyce! It made me also be more mindful not to let anxious thought run rampant through my mind too. May God continue to bless you!
Kimberly you just keep bringing it. Thank you for your ministry to us. You always, always bring a Good, PERFECT word. I know that the time you spend with our Father over these blog posts is considerable and it shows.
Bless you, sister. God bless you REAL good (as the wonderful old prayer warriors in my first church always said!)!!
Awesome!!!
I’m thankful for this article you’ve written and the practical application you’ve shared. It stirs my memory and faith of a very powerful scriptural promise and wisdom key that God has for me. Thanks again!
Blessings, thanks for sharing, really helpful and something we have to be aware of at all times and we have to really focus on the Lord, as anxiety can come so unexpectely and get us of guard getting us so nervous. For me it is a daily learning in my very hectic busy life being a devoted Christian. The enemy knows which strings to pull and get me of guard and anxiety is one of them. When the enemy comes from left or right field, I look at the wave, be still and focus on God before I react on anything. Ohh, this helps so much!
Thank you. I woke up at 5:00 am today thinking about what I was doing wrong with my family and raising my kids. It was eye opening to hear anxious means strangle-no thanks. It put things into perspective. We have a God who wants to give good things to His children…give us a hope and a future! If we rely on Him and go to Him He will give us peace. You always get it. Thank you Kimberly.
Thank you! God is good 🙂 ✝
Wow this good. The Lord just put this scripture on my heart right before I saw your email. “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”
Matthew 6:33 NIV. But the verses before it says “So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.”
Matthew 6:31-32 NIV. I love that God knows what we need and it gives him pleasure to bless us. He will not withhold any good thing from us. Seek him FIRST.
Matt. 6:33 in other words if we take care of His business He’ll take care of our business
So thankful for this timely article. I will definitely be remembering these truths with my sons upcoming heart surgery!
God bless you!
Lately I’ve been experiencing a tightness just around my diaphragm and tests have found nothing. I’ve been very anxious about so many things as well and I’ve heard God say so many times to stop the fears and anxiety. Now I know how to pray about it….. Wisdom and peace. God bless you Kim.
Thank you so much for this article. It came right on time!!
Thank you so much for this. I truly, truly needed this so badly. I’m going through having very low amino acids in my body which causes anxiety, mood swings. All sorts of emotions your body go through. I’m also low in my neurotransmitters in my brain and body. And I can be honest, I let it the best of me. I know who my healer is. But you just sent some encouraging words, and I am very thankful for this. God bless you.
God is amazing! I woke up with thoughts of past mistakes, then I became thankful to God for a new day and a new beginning. Then I started to grumble to myself about a commitment I have today, but immediately I new I should be grateful for this commitment as it blesses me and others, I had a choice. Praising God for his confirmations through you and your
mentorship!