10 Practical Ways Philippians 4 Promotes Peace During Crisis
“Do not be anxious about anything” (Philippians 4:6). What do these words mean, and how on earth do they apply during a global pandemic? For the past month we’ve been forced to face these kinds of questions. Fear cripples our faith, plunders our bodies, and takes captive our minds. And Paul simply says, “do not be anxious.” Really? What do we do with that?
Philippians 4:6 is a clear, black-and-white command. But the beauty of Philippians 4:6 is that it is not alone. Paul does not leave town after saying, “Do not be anxious about anything,” and assume that we will know exactly what to do. He offers at least 10 ways right here in chapter 4 to walk with faith over fear. Keep looking at the book and you’ll discover more treasure buried beneath surface level readings of clear yet complexly glorious texts.
1) Stand firm (4:1). Heed your call. Hop up off the spiritual couch. Initiate active warfare against the lies of the enemy and walk in the words of Jesus: “stay awake” (Luke 12:37).
2) Labor for Christ in unified community (4:2). Division breeds hostility and thus anxiety. Jesus prayed for our peace with one another (John 17:20-21). A loving, godly pursuit of peace with others will set the stage for a growing love that casts out fear (1 John 4:18).
3) Rejoice in the Lord (4:4). Can emotions be commanded? It appears so, to some degree. Paul could say in other places that he was “sorrowful yet always rejoicing” (2 Corinthians 6:10). Joy may not always entail the absence of sorrow. Grief is a godly response to a broken world. So joy runs deeper than a shallow happiness. It flows from a heart set on one thing: the beauty of the Lord (Psalm 27:4). What’s commanded is that Christ would be your ultimate treasure, your deepest joy.
4) Be gentle (4:5). Perhaps your translation says “reasonableness” or “moderation.” The word means “gentleness” or “patience.” It’s the characteristic in contrast to violence in 1 Timothy 3:3. Again, it points us to the pursuit of peace.
5) Acknowledge God’s Presence (4:5). This is not a command but a reality. It’s simple truth: “the Lord is near.” There are thousands of words in Scripture for anxious people. And the command “to not fear” is one of the only commands that almost never comes with a warning. Instead, it almost always comes with a promise: the reality of God’s presence.[i] “I will fear no evil, for you are with me” (Psalm 23:4).
6) Pray (4:6). The Psalmist says, “When I am afraid, I put my trust in you” (Psalm 56:3). He doesn’t say if, but when. Anxious concern is a given in a broken world. What matters most is what we do with our fears when they come. Throughout the Psalms, honest confession of fear is processed through prayer, the voice of faith. The Psalmist doesn’t escape life’s difficulties by turning to ice cream, pornography, Facebook, or Fox News. He escapes to God his refuge in simple prayer (Psalm 18:1-2).
7) Be thankful (4:6). Gratitude is a direct attack against anxiety. Two practical suggestions: 1) Make a list. Write out three or four things that you are especially grateful for. Anxiety flares when we demand what we are not given. We can certainly ask God for things. This verse tells us to! But our asking in faith ought to flow from contentment for the blessings our giving God has already granted. 2) Don’t just thank God for good things, but even for hard things. I needed a simple way to practice, so I tried in traffic. I hate traffic. It exposes my angry heart. So I pray: “God, thank you for traffic,” because it forces a chance for me to walk in patience.
8) Understand the gift of the peace of God (4:7). God’s peace is the opposite of negative anxiety. Certainly, there’s a godly anxiety in the Bible.[ii] Paul himself has “anxiety for all the churches” (2 Corinthians 11:28). Intense concern for others is a mark of love, even if it mimics anxiety on the surface. It turns negative when it departs from the “peace of God.”[iii]
9) Guard your mind by thinking intentionally on what is good (4:8). Much of our anxiety is fueled as we dwell on predicted and proposed negative possibilities. Ed Welch says that an anxious person is simply a false prophet: someone who predicts a bleak future without accounting for the grace that God will give you when you encounter that future.[iv] So what do we do? We meditate instead on what is true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, commendable, excellent, worthy of praise.
10) Imitate godly people (4:9). If you want to see faith and contentment in action, watch people who are doing it well. For me it’s my parents and grandparents, a mentor from high school, my current pastor. Who is it for you? Paul gives himself as a prime example.
And finally, there’s one more thing to see. Paul’s reasoning is gloriously logical and practical. But God gives even more! In Philippians 4:10-13, these logical principles are illustrated through story, through a specific, zoomed-in view of Paul’s own life and biography. We see peace, faith, and contentment at work in Paul in very specific circumstances of suffering. And he gives us the secret to facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. The secret to contentment: “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” This promise is not simply a motto to plaster on your football helmet. This is rock-solid hope in the face of deep suffering. Here is a man with a heart set on one thing. Here are the possibilities for your life as well. What a gift.
[i] David Powlison. Safe & Sound: Standing Firm in Spiritual Battles (Greensboro, NC: New Growth Press, 2019), 51.
[ii] J. Alasdair Groves & Winston T. Smith. Untangling Emotions (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2019), 160.
[iii] See John Piper. “Philippians 4:4-7, Part 4: Is Any Christian Anxiety Good?” in his Podcast series, Look at the Book.
[iv] Edward T. Welch. When I Am Afraid: A Step-By-Step Guide Away from Fear and Anxiety (Greensboro, NC: New Growth Press, 2010), 8.
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