“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7

I have always believed that some of the best psychology ever written is found in Paul’s letter to the Philippians. We must remember that this letter was written by Paul while he was imprisoned in Rome and awaiting a trial. One of the themes that recurs throughout the letter is found in the expression, “Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!” (Phil. 4:4). Throughout the letter Paul constantly reminds us to have the mind of Christ, to keep our priorities straight and to press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus (Phil. 3:14).

One definition given for the word “worry” is to give way to anxiety or unease; allow one’s mind to dwell on difficulty or troubles: “he worried about his soldier sons in the war”; a state of anxiety and uncertainty over actual or potential problems: “her son had been a constant source of worry to her”; synonyms: fret · be concerned · be anxious · agonize · overthink.

Many of us may have The Serenity Prayer embroidered on a pillow or hanging on a wall in our house. The Serenity Prayer is the common name for a prayer written by the American theologian Reinhold Niebuhr (1892–1971). The best-known form is:

God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,

Courage to change the things I can,

And wisdom to know the difference.

Niebuhr, who first wrote the prayer for a sermon at Heath Evangelical Union Church in Heath, Massachusetts, used it widely in sermons as early as 1934 and first published it in 1951 in a magazine column. The prayer spread both through Niebuhr’s sermons and church groups in the 1930s and 1940s and was later adopted and popularized by Alcoholics Anonymous and other twelve-step programs.

We may also remember a song released twenty-nine years ago. “Don’t Worry, Be Happy” is a popular worldwide hit song by musician Bobby McFerrin. Released in September 1988, it became the first a cappella song to reach number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, a position it held for two weeks. The song’s title is taken from a famous quotation by Meher Baba. The Indian mystic and sage Meher Baba (1894–1969) often used the expression “Don’t worry, be happy” when cabling his followers in the West.

The idea of not worrying is not a disguise for ignoring our responsibilities. God expects us to go to work and to provide for our own needs and the needs of our families. However, we can most successfully accomplish this when we remember the words of Jesus from the Sermon on the Mount, “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you” (Matt. 6:33). Don’t be anxious. Be thankful and spend much time in prayer to God.

Scott Gage