The Lord is near. Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. — Philippians (4:5-6)
There are lots of different things to worry about right now, and lots of different ways to deal with your worries. You can take the edge off your worries through alcohol or medications. You can detach yourself from your worries through running or yoga. You can escape from your worries through binge-watching TV. You can put off your worries through procrastination.
But Paul wants you to try a different approach: remembering that God is present in the midst of your worries. Many Christians know verse 6 by heart (“Don’t worry about anything…”) but they ignore the powerful reminder just before it: “The Lord is near.” The sovereign Lord? The ruler of the universe? He’s near to you. He’s right there! He came near through his Son, and he’s still near through his Holy Spirit.
Paul knows that a big reason we worry is that we feel alone in this world. We think no one else is really looking out for us, so we have to figure it all out on our own. When money is tight, you worry because you think you’re the one who controls how much money you have. When you have a big decision to make, you worry because you think your success and failure is all riding on you. But Paul says the best way to overcome worry is to remember that you’re not alone. The Lord is near! Why not depend on him, instead of trying to figure out everything on your own?