Philippians 4:6–7
Bible verses · Also called: Philippians 4:6-7, Phil 4:6-7, Be careful for nothing, Be anxious for nothing, The peace of God which passeth all understanding, Do not worry, but pray
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6 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
The text is the New Korean Revised Version (1998), shown under a licence from the Korean Bible Society. Wording may differ slightly from the Korean Revised Version and the Revised New Korean Standard Version. Read in the Korean Revised Version
An exhortation not to be anxious about anything but to pray with thanksgiving, with the promise that the peace of God will guard the heart and mind. It is widely cherished as a passage of comfort and is frequently cited in discussions of how faith relates to anxiety and mental health.
Context
The passage belongs to a cluster of exhortations in the latter part of Philippians 4. Just before it, Paul writes, "Rejoice in the Lord alway" (4:4), and urges that the believers' gentleness be made known to all, adding, "The Lord is at hand" (4:5). Verses 6–7 take this nearness of the Lord as the ground for urging prayer in place of anxiety. Paul himself wrote the letter while imprisoned, and the church at Philippi faced both internal conflict (4:2–3) and external pressure.
Interpretation
- A reading focused on the manner of prayer: The phrase "by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God" is taken to teach a form of prayer in which thanksgiving accompanies petition, rather than petition alone.
- A reading as a promise of peace: The word translated "shall keep" in verse 7 (Greek phroureō) denotes a military garrison guarding a city. Some interpreters suggest that readers in Philippi, a Roman colony, would have understood it as a picture of God's peace standing guard over the heart like a garrison. This reading emphasizes that peace comes before one's problems are resolved.
- A communal reading: Because the surrounding exhortations are tied to conflict within the church, the passage is also read as addressing not only individual worries but also the community, calling it to pray together and so find peace.
Controversies and Issues
The command "Be careful for nothing" (that is, do not be anxious about anything) is sometimes taught to mean that anxiety is evidence of a lack of faith. In response, voices in Christian counseling and psychiatry point out that anxiety disorders and depression cannot be overcome by willpower alone, and that the passage should not be used to justify delaying treatment or to burden patients with guilt. At the same time, there is broad agreement that the passage is not a call to replace treatment but rather points to a posture of faith that entrusts one's anxieties to God.
In the Korean Church
The passage is frequently read during visits to the sick, at funeral services of consolation, and at prayer meetings for students preparing for entrance examinations, and verse 7 is sometimes quoted as a benediction at the close of worship. Several gospel songs also set its words to music.
Related Passages
- Matthew 6:25–34
- 1 Peter 5:7
- Isaiah 26:3
- John 14:27
See also 5
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