Philippians 4:6 “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”

Worry is a joy-killer. Don’t do it, ever, about anything, Paul warns. Sometimes we are inclined to defend our worry. It seems legitimate to us when the stakes are high or the danger is real. We worry when our hopes and dreams are dying. My brother wanted to be a fighter pilot. His vision wasn’t quite good enough to become a candidate. Then he thought he wanted to be a doctor. His academics just weren’t impressive enough to get accepted into medical school. Surely you would understand if he felt a little anxious about his future at that point. But don’t do it, Paul says. Don’t be anxious about anything.

Almost twenty years ago I got called out of the middle of a church meeting and told to go home because one of my children had collapsed and was unconscious. As I drove up to my home, there was the ambulance parked outside. That’s about a parent’s worst nightmare. You probably wouldn’t fault me if I felt a little anxious getting out of the car and going inside. Indeed, I was. But Paul’s words still stand. “Don’t be anxious about anything.”

Anxiety and joy find it impossible to coexist. When one comes, the other goes. And Paul insists that it is always time for joy, so anxiety has to go. That’s where the invitation to prayer comes in. “In everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”

Imagine that you had a supernatural friend who was inseparable. Wherever you went, he went. He was besides you at all times. More than that, this supernatural friend could fix anything. He was more than handy. My dad is handy, and he can fix just about anything structural or mechanical. He showed me how to do car repairs and body work. Where I was a little tentative about doing something that might damage the car, he would grab the tools and jump right in. He can sweat pipes, wire electrical boxes, tape and bed drywall, build cabinets, shingle a roof. He’s handy.

But this supernatural friend can fix anything. Lou Gehrig’s disease is usually considered a death sentence, but this guy can make it go away. The U.S. government says that student loan debt cannot be forgiven, but this guy can make it happen. If World War III were to break out today between the U.S. and Russia and China and ISIS, your supernatural friend cannot only end it tomorrow, he can turn all the warring parties into instant allies.

You already know that this supernatural friend is not imaginary. He is your Savior. Time and time again he has shown that for him the laws of physics are not laws. They are only suggestions. He evens turns death backwards into life. He has already taken the debt of all our sins, even the sins we have not yet committed in time, far more than we could ever repay in a thousand lifetimes or with a thousand deaths, and he has wiped our record clean by his death on a cross.

It is this friend who now says to you, “Do you have a problem? Just ask. I am here to help. I can make anything go away. Better yet, I can transform anything that seems bad into a blessing. And I mean anything. In many, if not most, cases, that is how I prefer to work.”

Isn’t that what Paul is promising here? Isn’t that invitation to prayer a reason for us to kick out anxiety and be filled with joy at any time? My friend Lois used to have a sign on her refrigerator that read, “Good morning. This is God. I will be handling all of your problems today. I will not need your help. So, have a good day.” Maybe you have seen that before. Give him your problems in prayer, and live your life in joy.