Don't Choke

Therefore, my brothers, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm thus in the Lord, my beloved. I entreat Euodia and I entreat Syntyche to agree in the Lord. Yes, I ask you also, true companion, help these women, who have labored side by side with me in the gospel together with Clement and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the book of life. Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, 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 your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:1-7 ESV). As the apostle begins to close this letter to the church of Philippi he has some interesting “bullet points.” He tells two of the women of the church to stop fighting with one another. He encourages all the church to rejoice. And, then, he tells them to stop worrying. I’ve always found it interesting that the word "worry" has its origins in a word that means "to choke." But, that is exactly what worry does. It chokes us. It holds us back. Worry doesn't help at all. It actually makes things worse. Worry adds to our problems. Ephesians 6:18 tells us to "pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere." Notice the use of "all" and "every": All times . . . every occasion . . . for all believers everywhere. When we pile up these words, we get the idea that God is telling us to do this all the time about all things that concern us. Also, a literal translation of the word "pray" in this verse means "be sleepless to this end." In other words, keep praying. I know. That is a lot easier to preach than it is to practice. I do know that, intimately. Yet, it does not change the truth. Our prayers for ourselves, our families, our friends, our communities, and our world all answer the need to stop choking. I’ve seen it so many times in my life and the lives of others. When I pray, really pray, my worries seem to melt away. I’m not talking about the kind of compulsory prayers that we say at mealtime or bedtime; I mean the kind of conversation that ultimately deepens our understanding of our relationship with our heavenly Father. Just the other day I was caught in some traffic because of the construction on the Interstate. I had things to do and places to be. I didn’t have time to sit stopped on the road as if I had suddenly turned into a parking lot. Well, I started a CD of some gospel music that I had purchased some time ago in Gatlinburg. “The Lighthouse” was playing. You may not be familiar with that song. Google it and listen to it. You won’t be disappointed! Immediately I was taken away from the traffic to the wonderful work of Christ. Now that will keep you from choking!