“Be anxious for nothing, 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 comprehension, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”
In our home, in the master bedroom, we have a wall decal that shares this same thought as the scripture above. Except it reads like this, “Pray about everything, worry about nothing.” The word anxious means “uneasy and apprehensive about an uncertain event or matter; worried” (American Heritage Dictionary). This scripture in Philippians 4:6 is a command for us not to be anxious about anything. Easier said than done.
How do we do that, not be anxious? In this life and this fallen world there can always be things for us to worry about. But the best defense to not fall into the trap of worrying is to stay connected to our Abba Father. Philippians 4:6 goes on to explain that we are supposed to take our needs and problems to the Lord in prayer. Anxious people are people who haven’t cast their problems over on the Lord in prayer (1 Peter 5:7).
All our supplications are supposed to be made with thanksgiving. Sometimes, people just tell the Lord all their problems and call that prayer. That’s complaining. But when we voice our cares to the Lord and wrap them in thanksgiving, that moves us over into the realm of faith. If there isn’t thanksgiving in every prayer we pray, then we aren’t abounding in faith (Colossians 2:7).
When we have problems and worries, we often forget to pray about them. Then, when we do pray, we may think that the only help that God can give is to grant the request as we have presented it. God may very well do that. But we must not limit God to think that He can only do things one way, our way. God does not promise to change every situation to our liking. What He does promise to do is give us peace during any situation. In other words, God may or may not change the circumstance, but He will change our disposition toward it so that it does not cause us inner turmoil.
Paul said that we were to give thanks when we make our requests to God. A request is something asked for but not yet received. We wouldn’t request something to happen that has already happened. Would we? We are supposed to thank the Lord for doing things before He does them. That’s what the Bible calls faith. Philippians 4:6 gives us a model for the kind of prayer we need to pray when we are anxious or worried.
First, we reject or refuse to worry: do not be anxious about anything. Then, we simply ask God for what we need: in every situation, by prayer and petition, present your requests to God. And we thank Him for all that He has already done; with thanksgiving. Finally, we rest, knowing that He loves us and will work things out for our good and His glory. God’s peace is then ours. This peace doesn’t just happen. Perfect peace comes because of keeping our minds stayed on the Lord and trusting in Him (Isaiah 26:3). If we will condition ourselves to always walk in peace, God’s peace will protect us. Anytime we begin to lose our peace, we should step back, identify the problem, take evasive action, refuse to worry, and always remain in peace.
Looking for more encouragement in this area? Enjoy my blog post – Trust in God – Don’t be Afraid.
