Worry and concern are not the same thing, though we often treat them as if they were. The difference matters enormously — not only for our peace of mind, but for our faithfulness.
Concern is the appropriate response of a person who takes seriously the realities of life. It moves us toward prayer, toward action, toward trust. Worry, by contrast, is concern that has lost its anchor in God. It circles without resolution. It assumes the worst and forgets the Lord.
Paul’s instruction in Philippians 4:6–7 is not a command to stop caring. It is a command to redirect our caring — to bring every anxious thought into the presence of God through prayer and supplication with thanksgiving. The peace that follows is not the absence of difficulty. It is the presence of God.
Adapted from a 2017 essay for The Christian Post. This is a rewrite, not a reprint.
Adapted from a 2017 essay for The Christian Post.
Dr. Neely’s book on overcoming worry is available from Moody Publishers. See the book.
