A Strategy for Handling Anxiety

Anxiety permeates every aspect of our lives. The fast pace of life, constant comparisons from social media, and world uncertainties make many of us feel overwhelmed. Despite digital connections, many carry their burdens alone.

Telling someone not to be anxious doesn’t help. In fact, it often backfires. That’s why Paul’s words in Philippians 4:6—“Do not be anxious about anything”—can feel almost impossible at first glance.

Yet Paul doesn’t leave us with a command alone; he gives us a strategy.

The Strategy: Pray About Everything

Paul’s solution is both simple and profound: replace worry with prayer. “Do not be anxious about anything,” he writes, “but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.”

I like Paul’s logic: don’t be anxious about anything; pray about everything.

Let’s break this down:

Pray About Everything

Nothing is too small or too big to bring to God. Whether it’s a parking spot, a difficult meeting, or a major life decision, God invites us to bring it all to him. Prayer isn’t reserved for the “big” things; it’s for everything.

Pray Different Kinds of Prayers

Paul mentions both “prayer” and “supplication.” The first refers to regular, ongoing communication with God. The second suggests urgent and sincere appeals. Our relationship with God can include both daily prayer and urgent cries for help.

Pray with Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving changes our perspective. Instead of dwelling on what we lack, it reminds us of God’s faithfulness: what he’s done, what he’s doing, and what he will do. Gratitude pulls us out of self-centered worry and reorients us to God’s goodness.

Be Specific

Paul encourages us to make our requests known to God. Yes, he already knows our needs, but there's something powerful about naming them before him. It reminds us that we are speaking to the Creator and Sustainer of everything, who can help us in ways we can't even imagine. The bigger our view of God, the smaller our worries become.

The Result: God’s Peace

Here’s the promise: when we replace worry with prayer, God’s peace will guard our hearts and minds. Paul uses the image of a sentry, a guard standing watch over our inner life. This peace cannot be manufactured by us; it goes beyond understanding. It’s a gift from God, rooted in our relationship with Christ.

The Invitation

Are you anxious? Most of us would say yes. Anxiety is a persistent reality for many, and while prayer is a powerful response, it doesn’t always mean the struggle disappears overnight. Paul’s words in Philippians 4:6-7 aren’t a quick fix; they’re an invitation to a process.

The solution isn’t to suppress anxiety or pretend it doesn’t exist. Instead, it’s to bring your worries to God, again and again.

Don't be anxious about anything; pray about everything. Come to God with what's weighing on you. Talk to him regularly. Keep coming back. Send up urgent requests when needed. Give your problems to the One who can actually solve them, and receive his peace in exchange for your anxiety. Replace worry with prayer, not as a one-time solution, but as a daily rhythm of trust.

Replace worry with prayer to manage anxiety, trusting that God's peace will guard your heart and mind as you share your concerns with him.