Don’t Be Anxious

God used a punctuation mark to speak to me recently. I’m certain of it. (Disclaimer: This post is about studying different translations of the Bible. I primarily use KJV, NKJV, and ESV.)

I’ve been meditating on various “rejoice” passages for a couple of days. Today, a verse in Philippians 4 took on a different meaning because of the mechanics used in the ESV.

Here’s the passage:
4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. 5 Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; 6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.

All other translations have a period at the end of verse five and start verse six with a capital. But the ESV has a semi-colon at the end of verse five, and the first word of verse six is lowercase. To me, these subtle differences have big implications. I had previously processed “The Lord is at hand” in verse five as a warning; that we need to obey the first part of the verse because God is watching, or because Jesus is coming back. But a semi-colon at the end of verse five makes it clearer that verse six is a continuation of the thought. We shouldn’t be anxious about anything BECAUSE the Lord is “near in time or position.” Wow.

“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.”

Give

Subscribe to the Daybreak Devotions for Women

Be inspired by God's Word every day! Delivered to your inbox.


More from Heather Smith

Editor's Picks

  • featureImage

    An Inspired Challenge for Wives This Father's Day - Today Can Be Different

    Consider asking your husband how you can pray for him each day. (If the father of your children doesn’t live with you, for whatever reason, remember to put him on your prayer list too.) Your husband wants nothing more than to succeed, but he probably struggles with issues he’s afraid to admit, even to himself. He may feel insecure about being a dad, especially if he didn’t have the benefit of a good role model. Or maybe he feels more like an understudy because he’s “only” a stepdad.

    3 min read
  • featureImage

    Knowing and Being Known

    Image generated by AI. April and I have started going to a church that is new to us. We agree with their philosophy of keeping faith in God simple. They preach Jesus and him crucified. When you sta…

    3 min read
  • featureImage

    Making Marriage Easier — Carol McLeod Ministries

    A Note from Carol: One of the greatest joys of my ministry is sharing voices that inspire and uplift with both passion and purpose. Today, I’m honored to introduce you to Arlene Pellicane—a gifted author, podcaster, and a tireless champion for families. Arlene shares her heart with us this week o

    6 min read

More from Heather Smith