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Philippians 4:6, 7 - Praying With Thanksgiving.

Philippians 4:6, 7 - Praying With Thanksgiving.

Philippians 4:6, 7 (NIV) Do not be anxious about anything, but 
in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present 
your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all 
understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.  

CONTEXT

  The message of our ministry is the gospel of Christ (chap. 1). 
The model for our ministry is the example of Christ (chap. 2). The 
motive for our ministry is the reward of Christ (chap. 3). The means of 
our ministry is the provision of Christ (chap. 4). 
  He provides unity when we disagree with our fellow Christians 
(vv. 1-5), and peace when we are prone to worry (vv. 6-9). If we pray 
as we ought to pray and think as we ought to think, the peace of 
God will guard us, and the God of peace will go with us. 
  He provides the power we need for life and service (vv. 10-13) 
and the material needs we have as well (vv. 14-20). [Chapter by 
Chapter Bible Commentary by Warren Wiersbe] 

COMMENTARY APPLICATION 

  I pray voraciously. It's my fuel, my compass, and my comfort. 
I'm a student of prayer and an advocate for prayer. One of my 
ongoing projects is challenging men to spend more time in effective 
prayer. Part of my passion in this area, frankly, comes from my hope 
that other men can learn from my mistakes. Certainly, God wants us to 
come to him in prayer consistently--even constantly! And we should 
never hesitate because we're concerned that we may be praying "the 
wrong way." But there are some rules concerning prayer. One of those 
rules is spelled out quite clearly in Paul's letter to the 
Philippians. He tells us to pray "with thanksgiving," and I didn't always do 
that. So my time with God became an exercise in hand wringing, and 
peace was denied full access to my heart. 
  Here's an example: If a teenage son (like mine) is driving 
home past midnight, it would be typical for a dad (like me) to pray 
and at the same time agonize over how tired his son might be, the 
snowy roads, the shaky transmission, and the high rate of accidents 
among teenagers. Those thoughts are not just a distraction to prayer; 
they become the focus of the prayer. But a dad who follows Paul's 
advice would thank God for his son's good health, the snowplows 
clearing the way, the boy's accident-free driving record, and even his 
son's salvation. When that happens, prayer becomes a free-flowing 
conduit for God's peace. And that just makes me want to pray all the 
more. 
  James Nicodem--husband to Sue and father to Emily, Rachel, and 
Andrew--is the founding pastor of Christ Community Church, which has grown 
from six families in 1984 to three campuses in the far west suburbs 
of Chicago. Jim can be heard daily on LifeLine with James Nicodem, 
the radio ministry of Christ Community Church. [The One Year Bible 
Live Verse Devotional re vs. 6, 7] 

God can't give us happiness and peace apart from Himself because 
there is no such thing. C. S. Lewis 

LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT:

Grace Notes:
http://www.e-gracenotes.org/index.php

A Better Way to Live:
http://www.itiswritten.com/betterway/

Excellent Spiritual Resource Site:
http://www.christianlifemediacenter.com/

More Spiritual Resources:
http://www.aBible.com