I was recently reminded of how much power God’s promises wield. “Do not be anxious.” Remember that verse from Philippians 4:6? I hate to point out the obvious, but that’s a command. A law. It’s what we call an “imperative” in the academic world. Those have teeth. 

The command is to STOP doing something. In this case, stop being anxious. Cease and desist. Don’t do that. Now think with me here: If you’re an anxious person, does that help? It never helped me, and often intensified my anxiety if I’m being truthful.  

The stakes rise though, because the verse goes on to say, “about anything.” Not only am I commanded not to be anxious, but I’m given a blanket prohibition on that anxiety. Don’t be anxious about anything. Not my job. Not my health. Not my safety. Not my bank account. Not my relationships. Not the economy. Not my sick cat. Nothing. 

In the past I’ve found great comfort in the next part of that passage. Maybe you have too. It says, “but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” 

But another pesky observation here. That’s another command. So here’ the gist. Stop being anxious—about anything—and get busy praying—about everything. Stop with the worrying and start with the praying. The rest is just an elaboration on how to pray and what kind of prayers to offer. But it’s all one extended command…until the last statement, which comes as a promise. “And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

Now that’s more like it. God’s peace falling on me; entering me, actually. Guarding my heart and mind in Christ. That’s powerful. It’s what we call a conditional promise. Pray, and you’ll find peace. 

Time for a truth bomb, folks. I’ve experienced times of great anxiety where prayer did not come easy—if at all. So that “conditional” promise seemed far away. And I felt powerless. I could not meet the condition to “pray about everything” so peace eluded me. 

Now let me get to the good stuff. We missed something in that verse. Verse numbers in the Bible were of course added later and are not inspired. And they are great helpers. But sometimes they get in the way. That’s the case in this passage. If you back up to the middle of verse 5, you unearth an unconditional promise. It’s a promise, not with teeth, but with hands that lift you up to Christ. Or better yet, it brings Christ down to you. Here it is: “The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything.” See it? Feel it? The Lord is at hand. Some people take that as a reference to Jesus coming back. It’s not. “At hand” is not a chronological reference. It’s a spacial reference. Winter is at hand (that’s chronological). My cat is at hand (that’s spacial). “The Lord is near” is a better rendering. His nearness puts my anxiety in perspective.    

Now…how does that promise land on you—that unconditional promise that reminds you of the finished work of Jesus on your behalf? God’s promises can annihilate anxiety. The Lord is near. How near is He? He’s right here. Right now. In you. And you are in Him. In Christ. There’s the nuclear warhead for anxiety.

There’s the peace of God. There’s the fuel for prayer. There’s the antidote for anxiety. And there’s the gospel. God with us. How? Why? God became a man. He suffered and bled. He died in our place. He rose from the grace. He ascended to heaven. He sent His Holy Spirit. The Lord is at hand. He is here. So you can calm your worried heart. 

You can trace that promise/command relationship through Scripture and find some enlightening promises. Here’s another one. 

“Fear not.” Hear that? Stop being afraid. Get ahold of yourself for crying out loud. What are you so afraid of? Don’t be ridiculous. That’s how the law works. It kills. 

But don’t forget the rest of that verse in Isaiah. “For I am with you.” Glory! Fuel. Power. Promise. The Lord is with you. Therefore…you have nothing to fear. That’s just the Old Testament version of Philippians 4. The Lord is near. Don’t be anxious. God is with you. Don’t be afraid. 

I’ll leave you with some homework. Go find the promises in the New Testament. They are like nuclear easter eggs awaiting your discovery. If you look closely, you’ll find a command nearby. But look for the promise first. That’s the gold. Commands without promises are just empty religion that mocks us. 

But the promises bring us life. And they are all “yes and amen in Jesus.”