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We Who Thirst
Delve into the captivating tales of women from the Bible, exploring their lives within ancient cultures and historical contexts. These narratives reveal not only their stories but also the profound love and beauty of the God we worship.
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We Who Thirst
011 Anxiety and Nearness: Philippians 4's Gentle Call
Imagine facing a sea of anxiety and being told not to feel what naturally rises within you. That's the challenge many encounter when reading Philippians 4:6, a verse often misunderstood or misapplied in times of anxiety. Today, we untangle the complexities of these biblical commands, exploring how they don't dismiss our emotions but invite us into deeper communication with God. By delving into the historical context of Paul's relationship with the Philippians, beginning with Lydia's significant role, we paint a fuller picture of the connections that shaped these teachings.
The episode takes a closer look at how Paul's encouragement extends beyond individual struggles to communal harmony, particularly highlighting the roles of Euodia and Syntyche. By addressing their disagreement, Paul underscores the importance of unity and reconciliation, revealing the potential leadership positions these women held within the early church. As we navigate modern challenges like elections and health concerns, Paul's exhortation to rejoice and remain gentle serves as a timely reminder of finding peace through prayer, even in times of uncertainty.
For those feeling the weight of exhaustion and overwhelm, practical support is at hand. We introduce a free printable guide available on our website, designed to manage anxious minds and restore clarity. With heartfelt solidarity, we offer a prayer for peace and comfort, extending encouragement to listeners navigating stress and fatigue. Remember, God cares deeply for our worries, inviting us to trust in His presence and maintain open communication. Join us as we embrace the biblical call to rejoice amidst anxiety, finding rest in His unwavering care.
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Welcome back. Today we are talking about Philippians 4. We are still pausing our main focus of this podcast, which is women of the Bible in their historical context, to focus on some topical things. I've done some interviews. You'll want to catch those. Last episode we've looked at God's compassion in Psalm 102 and 103. And I'm pausing for last episode and this episode so that we can really focus on discussing anxiety and God's presence with us in anxiety. You can also, if you prefer to read, catch my three-part series on the blog talking about how God is near us in our anxieties, and I have some free downloads for you as well. So that's at wewhothirstcom. You can catch those there.
Jessica LM Jenkins:Today we're talking about Philippians 4, which is one major passage that always comes up when we're talking about anxiety, because it says in verse 6, do not be anxious about anything but pray. It says rejoice, don't be anxious. And for many people who struggle with anxiety, this verse is very troubling. How can the Bible, especially if they have clinical anxiety how can the Bible command me to do something that I don't necessarily have a lot of control over? They might ask, and we will get into that as we go through the passage. Also, this is a verse that can be used to spiritually bypass our emotions or even spiritually abuse people who are suffering, because it's easy for someone to take this verse out of its context and uncarefully, carelessly apply it to situations just all the way across the board. You're trying to express hurt and sorrow over something, or a legitimate concern, and the response can sometimes be in the church well, rejoice in the Lord, don't be anxious, let's just pray. And it shuts down communication. So I want to start this podcast by reminding us all that God is never shutting down communication. He is never shutting down our emotions, and if an application of a passage is shutting down your communication with other believers and or with God and causing you to ignore, push away, sideline your emotions, that may not be a truly biblical way of going through it. As we talked about in the last episode, a lot of biblical words for emotions in the ancient Hebrew and Greek are actually body terms. The Bible expects a mind-body connection as we process our emotions. So we have to be able to process through them, and God is helping us process through them.
Jessica LM Jenkins:Some of the questions I get about Philippians 4 and this passage also has to do with those who are really stuck on doing all the right things, an attitude of scrupulosity where it says rejoice in the Lord always. So they're very concerned about that. Do not be anxious about anything. So they feel if I'm ever not rejoicing or if I'm ever anxious, I'm disobeying God. So I want to talk about briefly commands in the Bible.
Jessica LM Jenkins:I was raised that you pay the most attention to the commands in scripture when it says do this. That is where you place the highest emphasis and there is some limited wisdom to that. But one thing I've been meditating on is how there are contradictory commands in scripture. In one passage it says pour out your heart to the Lord. In another passage it says quiet your heart. And yet another passage it says rejoice. In another passage it says be silent. So when you have commands that are in direct contradiction to one another, you have to exercise spirit-led wisdom on what you're supposed to do in a given moment. You can't look at a passage like Philippians 4 and say that's rejoicing the Lord always. Do not be anxious. This applies to every situation always. Period paragraph. End of discussion. That's not what's going on, because we have commands all throughout scripture that don't work together. They are situational commands. Work together. They are situational commands.
Jessica LM Jenkins:I want to dive deep into Philippians 4, but first I want to back us out a little bit and give some context for Paul writing to the church at Philippi. So we are going to actually go back to Acts, chapter 16. You can flip there, I'm not going to read it, but I'm going to talk through it to learn how did the church in Philippi come to be? What is Paul's relationship to this church and those sorts of things? Because that way we'll understand who the Philippians are that Paul is writing to.
Jessica LM Jenkins:So Paul is on his missionary journeys and he's traveling and he ends up at Philippi and what he often? Philippi is a Roman city. I believe it started with a Roman garrison that then turned into a full-on city. So this is a Roman city and that's going to be really important to Paul's interaction with the Philippians. It's a Roman city.
Jessica LM Jenkins:So Paul shows up to Philippi and he frequently goes to synagogues. There doesn't seem like there were synagogues in Philippi, so he is looking for a place to worship. So he ends up at a river where a bunch of women are praying, because he's just looking where do people pray in this city? So he goes to where people are praying, which happens to be outside the city proper, by a river. There he meets with he and those who are traveling with him. He has an entourage, he has Luke and others are traveling with him. They meet with these women. They start talking with these women. They're praying with these women. They're sharing the gospel and a prominent, very wealthy, prominent woman named Lydia comes to know the Lord. She and her household. She is a householder, she is a paterfamilias, she has leadership over her home. She comes to know the Lord, she and her household. She leads all of them to saving faith in Jesus and she says Paul, you have to stay with us, stay with us, please. So Paul relents to her request and Paul is staying at the home of Lydia.
Jessica LM Jenkins:We don't know I don't know off the top of my head Scholars may have figured it out how long he was in Philippi. But while he's in Philippi, he's at her house, he's going in and out of the city and there's this slave girl who's prophesying. She's making her owners a lot of money with her ability to prophesy. She starts following Paul around wherever he goes and the text indicates this is happening over a course of many days and she's just following him, screaming out things like these people are going to tell you about God and she may be doing it in a mocking tone, not a like heralding tone. They're going to tell you about the one who created the world. It's likely this girl was demon possessed and Paul finally just has enough. And he finally turns around and cures her, casts the demon out and is like just has enough. And he finally turns around and cures her, casts the demon out and is like I'm done with this, stop it. And then her owners get very, very upset because now their cash cow is gone. They can't keep earning Buku's money off of this poor, tormented slave girl.
Jessica LM Jenkins:So the owners of the slave girl get really mad at Paul. They go to the city officials and say this man is stirring up trouble in the city, which Rome did not tolerate. That at all. There is no freedom of speech, there is no freedom of expression, there is no free assembly. A lot of things at least in American culture we're used to did not necessarily exist in the Roman Empire. So the owners of the slave girl go to the city magistrates and they're like this dude Paul is causing us trouble, he's got to just mess everything up. And so the magistrates are like we can't have that. This is a Roman city, we have to keep things in line. So they grab Paul and they whip Paul and they beat Paul and I believe Silas is with him and who knows who else is with them and they beat them and it says many lashes, probably more than a Jewish person or a Roman citizen could have done to them. So they give them a very thorough beating, they hand them over to the jailer, who takes them to the tiniest, innermost part of the jail, puts them in stocks and leaves them there.
Jessica LM Jenkins:Paul and his companions are praying. They know this is because of the gospel. They know this is because of what they're preaching about Jesus and the opposition against that message. They know that they are continuing the suffering of Jesus and they are sitting in prison and they are praying and they are singing. God sends an earthquake, releases them from prison. All the shackles fall off, but they don't leave. They don't leave the prison, they stay there.
Jessica LM Jenkins:The jailer comes back. He's like oh no, the prisoners have escaped. If people find out that I let my prisoners escape, they're going to torture me to death. So I'm just going to commit suicide right now and make a quick end of it. Paul's like hold on, don't do that, we're still here, we didn't run away, you're fine. And the jailer's like oh, my goodness, that's incredible. So he takes Paul and his companions and he bathes their wounds Evidently they're sitting in jail without any wound care, which is infection city. And so he takes them and he bathes their wounds and he's like why are you doing this? What is going on? Paul shares the gospel with him and he comes to know Jesus.
Jessica LM Jenkins:Well, the next day the city officials come and say okay, paul, you need to leave the city. And Paul goes oh, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, stop, everything stops here. Yesterday you beat me, you threw me in jail. I am a Roman citizen, I have rights. You cannot do that to a Roman citizen without a trial. You messed up, you shamed me publicly and I'm going to let you know the deep trouble that you are potentially in if I decide to make an issue of this. So you want me to leave town? I'll leave town. You have to escort me out of town. Now.
Jessica LM Jenkins:You may be wondering why would Paul make such a big deal about this? He's a very humble man. He didn't tell them at the beginning that he was a Roman citizen. He's very humble. Why is he kind of making a big deal about himself now, like I'm a Roman citizen? That's not humble, gentle, quiet spirit that Paul says we should have.
Jessica LM Jenkins:Well, I believe there's a very key reason Paul is making a big deal about his Roman citizenship here and it has to do with the Philippian church. He has a couple fledgling little baby house churches. He has the jailer's house church and Lydia's house church. These people are vulnerable. They are susceptible to oppression by the authorities the authorities who just literally beat the skin off his back and put him in jail. The authorities who just literally beat the skin off his back and put him in jail. But, paul, by pulling a little bit of political power I am a Roman citizen by pulling that on the authorities, that lets them know they messed up and they're going to be less likely to go after the Philippian churches when Paul leaves. This is a protection measure for the churches, I believe, not a prideful I'm a Roman citizen, how dare you do that to me kind of measure. Paul is protecting his churches before he leaves, so in much shame and chagrin and hoping Paul doesn't make a bigger deal of this and get them in more trouble. The city officials escort him out of the city. He goes back to Lydia's house which may have been a complex outside of the city and stays with her, says goodbye and then he leaves and continues on his journey. So Paul has in some ways, I believe, ensured protection for the fledgling churches he has left in Philippi. He goes on his journey.
Jessica LM Jenkins:He ends up in prison again. This time many scholars believe he's in Rome. He's being watched by the Praetorian guard. He has access to Caesar. That is, the king, the big ruler, the emperor's household, the big ruler, the emperor's household. He has access to Caesar's household. He's being watched by the personal guard of the emperor, under lock and key.
Jessica LM Jenkins:Now, as one scholar I read noted often in prison they had room but not board per se. I believe it was Nije Gupta who said that. I thought it was very catchy. They had room but not board. So they'll put you in prison but they're not going to provide you anything you need, like today in prison. They have to feed you, they have to clothe you, they have to give you your basic necessities. Back then they didn't have to. They put you in prison. And if you didn't have family and friends to take care of you and feed you, you starved to death in prison. That's just the way it worked. And so Paul is in prison in Rome and the Philippian church sends Epaphroditus with a gift to Paul in prison to help him out in prison. And so Epaphroditus stays for a while with Paul. He gets really sick, he recovers and Paul sends Epaphroditus back to Philippi with the letter to the Philippians. So Paul writes Philippians in a Roman prison, largely as a response to a gift the Philippian church sent him, but also because there's some issues going on in the Philippian church.
Jessica LM Jenkins:Why do I bring all this context in before we even talk about Philippians 4? Paul has undergone dramatically traumatic experiences. Some scholars would even say he has symptoms of like PTSD. So when Paul writes the words in Philippians 4, rejoice always, do not be anxious. This comes from a place of understanding and trauma. He is not superhuman, he is not just band-aiding oh, you have a bleeding cut, let me just slap a band-aid on it. He's not spiritually bypassing anything the Philippians are going through. He is giving them hope.
Jessica LM Jenkins:So let's walk through the text and see how Paul, with his tender, shepherding heart that understands suffering and he went out of his way to make sure the Philippians would not be persecuted, as much as he could help that. How does Paul encourage them? And what is going on on the ground? They sent him a gift. They were worried about Epaphroditus. He sends Epaphroditus back to them with the letter. And so in chapter four I'm going to start at verse one he says therefore, my brothers and sisters, whom I love and long for my joy and crown, stand firm in the Lord. In this way, my dear friends, paul has such a close, intimate relationship with this particular church. It's evident all throughout the letter. He says stand firm in the Lord. And he says I plead with Iodia and I plead with Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord.
Jessica LM Jenkins:So now Paul names two leaders of this church, two women Eotica and Syntyche. We don't know anything about them. Nije Gupta, in his book Tell Her Story, mentions that these are names that I believe it was Nije. I read a couple different articles on them today. He mentioned we'll go with DJ. He mentioned that Eotica and Syntyche those are slave names. So these may be freed women who have now got some status in the church. They could be elders, they could be deacons in the church. But the fact that Paul is mentioning them by name is significant because he doesn't mention people by name that he is in strife with or he is not friends with. And in the ancient world mentioning women by name was kind of against societal convention. So the fact that Paul does this so frequently shows how much he values these women and how important they are to him. So he says I plead with Iodea and Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord. They're having a disagreement with each other or they're having a disagreement with Paul, we're not sure who they're disagreeing with, and people debate, but there's some sort of disagreement going on and Paul is wanting them to be of the same mind for unity.
Jessica LM Jenkins:He's calling these women, who they may be, householders, paterfamilias. That is, a householder is someone who is in charge of a household, and a household includes servants. It's like a business and a family at once. There's clients there's. They could be patrons over clients In the ancient world. It's not just today. My household consists of my husband being our two kids. It's just the immediate family.
Jessica LM Jenkins:Back then the householder is the person in charge of a large household which could have many servants, many patrons, lots of stuff going on, and churches often met in households and again, according to scholars like Nije Gupta and many, many others, whose names are escaping me at the moment often the head of the household would become the elder of the church and so when you have women, potentially they could have become the elders of those house churches. So we don't know fully what role Iodea and Syntyche played in the Philippian church, but they were significant members of the church. If they were lower members of the church, if they were lower members of the church, paul probably wouldn't have addressed them. He would have expected the householder over their house church to deal with their disagreement issues and help them along. If they were just a lay person under another pastor elder, he would expect that pastor elder to help them work out their issue. Here he is pleading with them directly, which signifies their leadership, as well as in verse 3, he continues and he says yes, I ask you, my true companion, to help these women, since they have contended at my side in the cause of the gospel, along with Clement and the rest of my co-workers whose names are in the Book of Life.
Jessica LM Jenkins:So Paul includes Iodia and Syntyche with the rest of his co-workers. These are people who work right alongside Paul in the ministry, the mission of the gospel. They are highly valued and their names are in the Book of Life. Some scholars again Nijay Gupta, I believe, is one of them. I've been reading his book recently mentioned that the Book of Life there is not the Book of Eternal Life, meaning that they are saved because it's a church that's expected that they are saved. This Book of Life is more significant to talk about those who have served God in a really spectacular way. They're recorded in a special book. So their names, iodia and Syntyche, have this special leadership ability. So Paul writes to this church where a couple key leaders are either in disagreement with each other or with him or with someone else. There's a disagreement happening. Paul is so thankful for this church, he has such a close relationship with this church, but he wants them to walk in unity. So in that background, all of that is context.
Jessica LM Jenkins:We now get to the verses that we have questions about. Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again Rejoice. Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God, and the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. So these verses four through seven are what we're really focusing on today, because many of us I don't know about you, but I'm feeling anxious.
Jessica LM Jenkins:The election is tomorrow, as I record this, on Monday, the 4th, or it will be yesterday by the time you probably get this recording the election is happening here in America. We are nervous, no matter who you're voting for. We are nervous about who's going to be the next president. We're nervous about no matter who you're voting for. We are nervous about who's going to be the next president. We're nervous about who is voting for the president. My husband has health issues. Your families I'm hearing from you are having health issues, behavior issues with your children, neurodivergent diagnoses, lack of diagnoses. It's fall. Seasonal depression is ramping up. We're just anxious. There is a lot on our minds. So we've talked about the context for the Philippians. We've talked about a lot of our context. You can probably fill in the blanks on anxieties you are dealing with that I have no idea about, but God knows.
Jessica LM Jenkins:So Paul looks at these people. He looks at us through the Holy Spirit, through the eyes of the Holy Spirit, that we would someday be here. And he looks more specifically at the Philippian church and he says yes, I am in prison. I am writing this from prison, from an ungodly emperor who will eventually put him to death. Paul is going to die, maybe not from this prison term, but maybe his next one. I'm not exactly sure where this falls in the chronology and I didn't look it up, but this emperor will put Paul to death.
Jessica LM Jenkins:And Paul says all right, breathe with me. You guys have strife in your churches, your elders, your deacons, they're not getting along. I'm in prison, you care about me. You were worried about epaphroditus. I've sent him home to you. Maybe Iota and Syntyche were some of the women at the river with Lydia, we don't know, I'll just throw that out there.
Jessica LM Jenkins:And Paul says, okay, I see, I see the emotions. This is a big enough emotional deal, this strife going on in the Philippian church, that I have to speak into it. He says, okay, I see what's happening in the world. We have children being murdered, we have whole people groups being wiped out. We have all of these things going on.
Jessica LM Jenkins:Rejoice in the Lord. And that seems like the last thing we want to do when the world is falling apart. How do we rejoice in the Lord? But Paul says I say this to you in chains we rejoice in the Lord. I'll say it again Rejoice, let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. That little phrase right there, the Lord is near, is the answer to your how question. The how, why, what does this mean? Question that all of that comes back to the Lord is near. How do I rejoice? What does that look like? The rejoicing is simply speaking out praise to God. It doesn't have to be frivolous, it's definitely not the. Let's all go around in the circle and talk about something we're thankful for. I'm so thankful for a sunny day. No, it's not that it could be, but that's not what he's asking us to do necessarily.
Jessica LM Jenkins:I believe Paul in this verse is he's saying rejoice in the Lord, lift your heart to remember the goodness of God. I was taking a walk last night just praying. Lots of things are deeply on my heart and mind and I finally I got into a rhythm in my brain which is aligning with my footsteps and it was just give thanks to the Lord, for he is good. His love endures forever. Give thanks to the Lord for he is good. His love endures forever. Give thanks to the Lord for he is good. His love endures forever. And it just continued in my mind and I think that's a picture of what this rejoicing in the Lord could look like. It's not necessarily a giddy delight in some semi-trivial thing like warm weather and a hot lunch though those things matter but it can sometimes be a desperate clinging in our darkest moments that the Lord's love endures forever.
Jessica LM Jenkins:Rejoicing does not necessarily mean be happy. Rejoicing is an action, not necessarily an emotion. Now, rejoicing can flow out of our joyous, glad emotions. Rejoicing can also be the cry of a broken heart focusing on God's character. Because Jesus is near.
Jessica LM Jenkins:The Lord is near, paul says, as Iodia and Syntyche have strife, have conflict, as we have conflict in our election and maybe in our nation because of the election here in America, as there are wars and rumors of wars in Gaza and the Ukraine, the Lord is near and we may not see it, we may not realize it, we may not fully understand, but our rejoicing is for the purpose of reminding our hearts of the nearness of God and we can act gently because he is near. He fights on our behalf. If the wrong person whoever you believe that may be gets elected in America, god is still fighting on our behalf and that may look like we have peace and prosperity and human ideas of freedom. Or Paul writes this to us from prison, imprisoned in or near the household of an emperor who will eventually sentence him to death. It may not, and God will be near us through the end, even if the worst things we can imagine come true. Earlier in this letter, paul says I am torn on whether I want to live or die, because to die means I get to be with Jesus and that is better. To live means I get to love and serve you, and I don't know which to choose.
Jessica LM Jenkins:Paul invites us to have a view of the world that is outside the human. It is so easy to get caught up in human things in the election. Who's going to win? What are we going to do about immigrants and abortions and women's rights? And do our voices matter? And those things are important and we should vote and care about our neighbors. But Paul is helping us see something beyond that, that we are not citizens of this world. We are citizens of God's kingdom. Citizens of God's kingdom, and the Lord is near to us. And as we walk as sojourners, as immigrants in this world to which we do not belong though we often forget it and feel like we do the Lord is near.
Jessica LM Jenkins:In that Rejoice in the Lord. Always, paul says, I will say it again rejoice. And this is imagine as he speaks. His tone here is much more apparent scooping up a hurt child or as you put your arm around a wounded, frustrated friend. It's not someone standing on the church, on the street corner with the big sign that says repent. It's not that vibe at all. This is Paul speaking to his dear, dear, dear, dear friends, putting his arm around them and saying rejoice in the Lord. I will say it again rejoice. Recall to your mind and speak with your voice. God's good character and his presence with you. Doing this will enable you to be gentle. The Lord is near. If the candidate you believe is going to do the most good for our country doesn't win, if democracy falls, the Lord is near. He is still with us. Even when everything falls apart and everything could fall apart. We are not promised health, wealth, prosperity or freedom. The church, the Philippian church, didn't even have a clue of the health, wealth, prosperity and freedom that we take for granted, that we are very concerned about losing. And Paul says the Lord is near.
Jessica LM Jenkins:Do not be anxious about anything. We don't know what their particular anxieties were. We know what ours are Do not be anxious about anything. And again, this is like picking up a little child who's scared of the thunder and saying it's okay, it's okay, mommy's here, mommy's here, don't be anxious. Don't be anxious, I've got you. This is the attitude. Do not be anxious about anything. But in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
Jessica LM Jenkins:Now let's talk briefly about what he means by anxiety here. Do not be anxious. Is that an anxiety disorder? What is he talking about here? Great question, I'm so glad you asked. Do not be anxious. Here is not talking about a general sense of anxiety or what commonly would be diagnosed today as an anxiety disorder. That isn't what Paul has in view here. Paul has in view specific worries. Anxious is kind of this specific concern or even a rumination on that concern. And so, instead of ruminating on specific concerns, what happens if X candidate wins? That's a rumination. You're toying it over in your mind, looking at all the possible negative outcomes. Replace rumination on your concerns with rejoicing, celebrating the character of God and prayer.
Jessica LM Jenkins:In one of my articles you can find on my blog I talk about three types of anxiety. There's general anxiety anxiety disorders. Number two would be physical anxiety your body's way of handling stress and anxiety. Your mind might not feel anxious, but your body is recognizing that anxiety. Your body is carrying it in your physical flesh. The ancient world understood this way better than we do. We're often having to relearn it through counseling and other helps to get our minds and bodies to work together. But our bodies carry anxiety. We've been struggling with health things in my household and I was realizing that my body was reliving excuse me, my body was reliving old traumas because my body remembered things from years ago that my mind wasn't thinking about. But my body felt it and I could feel the anxiety and the pressure and just the crushing weight in my physical body.
Jessica LM Jenkins:Paul isn't talking about that anxiety either. That's not one we necessarily have control over and that is one Paul and Jesus even experienced. We see Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane where he's pleading with God to take this cup from me. He's dealing with massive physical anxiety there. He's also dealing with a specific anxiety which Jesus models for us, paul's instructions in the garden. So Paul isn't saying don't have an anxiety disorder, don't let your body feel the effects of stress and anxiety.
Jessica LM Jenkins:That's not what Paul's saying. He's saying do not be overly concerned to the point of constant rumination about anything. Don't let those concerns specific concerns. You can name what yours are. Mine would be the election, my husband's health, one of my kids I'm on strep watch. I'm waiting to see if they're going to come home with a fever and potentially strep throat. I have all of these concerns. Those are just three. You have a whole different list.
Jessica LM Jenkins:He's saying don't let those be so overly consuming that they take over your mind and your heart, that they take over your mind and your heart. Don't be anxious, Don't be ruminating, don't be dwelling on those things overly. Now he's not saying ignore them, do not take that. I've often taken. I don't worry about things because I just ignore them. No, that's not good either. He gives us a help here.
Jessica LM Jenkins:He says do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. Remember how we started talking about how keeping open doors of communication between us and other believers and us. And God is always his heart. He says present your requests to God, because Jesus is near. He cares about all of your specific anxieties. He cares about your kid with the flu. He cares about the flat tire on your car. He cares about whether your truck is going to pass inspection. He cares about who will win the election. He cares about your child's school teacher and the struggles they're in. Present your requests to God. He wants to know them. It would be imagine with me. Jesus is near, the Holy Spirit indwells God's people, and so what a flip side of this verse could be.
Jessica LM Jenkins:Imagine you're sitting there next to Jesus or the Holy Spirit, like you would a good friend at the coffee shop, and they're saying I sense that you're worried. I sense that you're sitting there next to Jesus or the Holy Spirit, like you would a good friend at the coffee shop, and they're saying I sense that you're worried, I sense that you're upset, what's going on? And you're like nothing, I got it, but you're really concerned. I know I got it, I'm just going to ruminate on it and figure it out. Your friend would have right especially if they're a good friend to be offended. Hey, now if I'm going out to coffee with you, taking hours out of my day to check in on you. I would like to hear what's going on in your life, please, and thank you. And again, this isn't somebody I don't know, it's a good friend. We have that open connection. Imagine that. That's the attitude this comes with.
Jessica LM Jenkins:Paul says Jesus is right there with you. He's there and he's saying what do you need? What's going on? What are you worried about? Are you worried about the election? Let's talk. Are you worried about your husband's health? Let's talk. Are you worried about your child's teacher? Let's talk.
Jessica LM Jenkins:Present your requests to God by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, and that's not a formula One, two, three, you get the reward. It's saying we pray, we petition, with thanksgiving. Looking at God's character, we could talk to him because he's near and he loves us and we can be so thankful for who he is. We present our requests to God and then this is a promise the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Does that mean the problem will go the way you're hoping or whatever? No, but Jesus is near and he will guard your hearts and your minds. You are safe.
Jessica LM Jenkins:Then Paul gives us a choice. He says finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable, if anything is excellent or praiseworthy, think about these things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me or seen in me, put into practice and the God of peace will be with you. Paul is desiring peace for the Philippians and peace for us, and this isn't the peace of spiritual bypassing, where you just ignore your emotions and your problems and hope that they go away because you push the happy Christian button. How are you this morning? I am blessed, thank you so much. No, he's not asking for that. Blessed, thank you so much. No, he's not asking for that. He is saying you have poured out your prayers and petitions before God. You have emptied your soul to him. Let's think about what is noble and true.
Jessica LM Jenkins:We do have some choice on what our mind dwells on, and there are those of us here who struggle with scrupulosity and OCD and PTSD and things where we don't have full control over what our mind is just going to hit us with, and it'll hit us with these negative, horrible thoughts over and over and over, and the fact that some sort of trauma or mental illness is forcing your brain to and exhausting your will with whatever it's hitting you with, that does not mean you are a failure, because thinking about whatever is true and noble and right feels like an impossibility. This is an encouragement. This is an indication on how we can disciple our emotions. It is not a pass fail demand from God. It is an invitation of a brother, of a dear friend, because, do not forget, we are co-heirs with Christ, co-heirs, legal younger brothers of Jesus. And I say brothers because women often didn't have inheritance right in the same way.
Jessica LM Jenkins:So when God says you are a son of God, that is a legal term. It's not talking gender necessarily. It's a legal like heir. We are legal little brothers of Christ, co-inheritors of the king of the universe's bounty. Your brother is sitting with you saying tell me all about it. I love you. I want to hear your heart. Let us lift our minds to thinking about the good things and the holy things and the right things.
Jessica LM Jenkins:Doesn't mean it's going to be easy, doesn't mean everything's going to work out, but what I want you to walk away from this podcast with is that the Lord is near, he's right there and he's offering you his peace, because God's peace isn't necessarily always a feeling of everything just feels right in the world and I'm not feeling huge conflicting emotions. It's not that necessarily it might be, but peace is also a person. Jesus is our peace and he is near. The peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. We can trust him. He can give us a sense of peace. But even when we're completely overwhelmed, trauma-logged, fighting off depression, ocd, ptsd, trauma, all of the things, even if we don't have the sensation of peace, jesus is our peace and he is there with us.
Jessica LM Jenkins:So, dear one, I hope as you walk away, I hope as this podcast ends, you have hope that no matter what happens in the election, no matter what happens in the wars and rumor of wars, no matter what happens in the election, no matter what happens in the wars and rumor of wars, no matter what happens with that diagnosis and health issue, jesus is near and he wants to hear all of it and it's not a. You can only send your requests to him after you've rejoiced and been thankful enough. I've thought that before, like I have to do, I have to do it in order. I have to rejoice and I have to be thankful. There are also verses in the Bible that simply say pour out your heart to the Lord and if that's all you can do, that's what he wants. He's not looking for a rubric, he's not looking for any specific order. He just wants your heart and he wants to hear you. Maybe you're sitting here listening, going.
Jessica LM Jenkins:I am so exhausted, so tired, I don't even know where to start Go. Exhausted, so tired, I don't even know where to start. Go to my website. I have a freebie on there and it's a piece of paper. You can print it out, you can look at it on your phone and it's just a guide just to help the tired and exhausted brains be like okay, what can I do? How can I do this? To just hold your hand and step you through some of these things for your own heart's sake. If that is helpful, it is free download available on my website, wewhothearscom. It's not helpful, you have other tools. I am praying for you. I am with you in this anxious season and I pray that the Lord will bless, that. He will keep you and make his face shine upon you and give you peace. Have a great day.
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