Anxiety is one of the common spiritual diseases that troubles the hearts of men. It is not confined to the unbelieving world. Christians, too, are often burdened with worry.
Even sincere believers who pray regularly and serve in the church may find their hearts disturbed and their minds distracted by the cares of life. The Scriptures show that God’s children are no strangers to fear, sorrow, and pressure, and they teach us how to bring such burdens before God.
The Divine Prescription
Paul’s words in Philippians 4:6–7 provide a divine remedy for anxiety. There we find both the prohibition and the prescription:
“Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God” (Philippians 4:6).
The word “careful” here does not mean careful in the modern sense of being cautious or prudent. It refers to anxious care and prolonged worry, which distract and distress us.
There is, of course, a lawful care that belongs to Christian duty. A father must care for his family, a mother must care for her children, and a pastor must care for his flock. Likewise, a believer must be diligent in his work and plan ahead. Scripture never endorses carelessness or irresponsibility.
But there is another kind of care: sinful care, which causes inward torment. This is the anxiety that burdens the heart and clouds the mind’s judgment. Consequently, it weakens our service to God and ultimately dishonours Him.
Our Lord addresses this in Matthew 6 when He said, “Take no thought for your life” (Matthew 6:25). He pointed to the birds of the air and the lilies of the field, reminding us that the Father who feeds and clothes them will surely care for His children.
Anxiety, at its root, is a weakness of faith. It grows when our trust in God’s fatherly care declines.
The Antidote to Anxiety
Paul gives us a clear antidote:
“in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God”.
Pray in Everything
First, we are to pray “in every thing”. Nothing is excluded from the believer’s approach to God.
Every fear, burden, uncertainty, trial, temptation, family matter, health concern, ministry difficulty, and decision must be brought before God.
We often pray about the large matters but neglect the small ones, until the small cares accumulate and become heavy burdens. When Paul says, “in every thing”, it implies that there is no burden too great for God, and none too small for His fatherly concern.
Pray by Prayer and Supplication
Second, Paul says we are to come “by prayer and supplication”.
“Prayer” speaks of reverent approach to God. It includes our worship of Him and our devotion to Him. When we pray, we approach the Almighty God, the Creator of heaven and earth, the faithful Father, the One for whom nothing is too hard.
Anxiety often grows because our problems become great in our eyes while God becomes small. When we pray, the right spiritual perspective is restored.
“Supplication” adds a sense of earnest, particular pleading. We are to bring our burdens before God with sincerity and earnestness. We may tell Him plainly what troubles us. We may ask for wisdom, strength, grace, deliverance, patience, submission, and faith.
Pray with Thanksgiving
Third, and most significantly, Paul adds, “with thanksgiving”.
This is the spirit in which our requests must be made. Thanksgiving should never be postponed until the trouble is over. It is to accompany prayer even while the burden remains.
In the midst of uncertainty, tears, and distress, the believer is called to pray thankfully.
Thanksgiving changes our heart even while it carries burdens within. It compels us to count present blessings and mercies instead of fixating on our present fears alone. It leads us to remember what God has already done, to recount His promises, and to steady our troubled hearts in His faithfulness.
Anxiety causes us to look ahead and imagine a possible disaster; a thankful heart looks back and remembers God’s mercy in times past, refusing to think that God would abandon us.
Many believers do pray, but with agitation and anxiety, with complaint over current circumstances, or with fear of the future. Paul teaches us to pray with thanksgiving.
The Continued Use of the Remedy
Fourth, our requests are to be “made known unto God”.
Does God not already know? Certainly He does. Jesus said, “your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him” (Matthew 6:8).
We do not pray to inform God of what He does not know. We pray because He wills that we express our dependence on Him, cast our burdens upon Him, and draw near to Him in trust.
There is also a spiritual unloading in speaking to God. Hannah understood this when she said, “I ... have poured out my soul before the LORD” (1 Samuel 1:15).
So must we.
We are to make our requests known unto God. First Peter 5:7 says, “Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.”
This also rebukes our common tendency to make our troubles known everywhere except at the throne of grace.
When something troubles us, we often immediately speak to men. We text, complain, rehearse the matter, and seek relief horizontally. There is a proper place for counsel, fellowship, and mutual prayer. But our first instinct must be vertical: “unto God”.
When anxiety presses, the believer’s duty is clear: not to parade his composure before men, but to pour out his requests unto God.
The Cured Soul: Kept by the Peace of God
Then comes the promise:
“And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:7).
This does not mean every problem will immediately vanish. Paul does not promise that every painful circumstance will change at once. Rather, God promises us peace.
This peace “passeth all understanding”, meaning that it exceeds human explanation.
The world may understand peace after problems are solved, but it cannot understand peace while sorrows remain unresolved. God gives His people such peace: a calm, settled confidence in His favour, wisdom, and control.
This peace guards both “hearts and minds”. The verb “keep” means to guard. The peace of God guards the believer during times of trouble, like a sentry over our inner man.
When anxiety attacks both our emotions and our thoughts, God’s peace guards the heart from collapse and the mind from confusion.
This guarding peace does not remove all sorrow, but it prevents sorrow from gaining mastery over us. It does not answer every question immediately, but it keeps the mind from being abandoned to utter chaos.
All this comes “through Christ Jesus”.
There is no true peace apart from Christ. By His blood, Christ has reconciled us to God. By His mediation, Christ opens to us the throne of grace. By His intercession, Christ continues to plead for us before the Father.
Therefore, the anxious believer may come to God the Father with confidence.
Through Christ, believers have access not only to peace with God, but also to the peace of God a peace that keeps the heart and mind amid life’s burdens.
Source: Bible Witness, Volume 26, Issue 3 (May–June 2026), pp. 17–20.
Author: Cornelius Koshy.