Philippians 4:6 - Turning Anxiety and Worries into Prayers.
Philippians 4:6 (NKJV) Be anxious for
nothing, but in everything by prayer and
supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made
known to God;
Philippians 4:6 (NLT) Dont worry about
anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God
what you need, and thank him for all he has
done.
COMMENTARY PEARL
Why We Dont Pray
Why dont we pray more often? Why do we
put off prayer, sometimes even avoid it?
Maybe we dont pray more because we
think we dont have the time. But is that true?
How much time do we spend on social media every
day? The latest research says that people in the
United States check their social media accounts
seventeen times per day. Thats once every waking
hour.
We waste so much time on our phones.
Imagine if we prayed seventeen times a day instead
of checking our social media? Then factor in
all the hours we spend binge-watching television
shows. We say we dont have time to pray, but the
fact is that we make time for what matters to
us.
Perhaps another reason we dont pray is
because we dont think prayer is all that
important. Of course, we would never admit that
outright, but do we really think so?
Prayer is very important.
For instance, when God led the Israelites
out of the bondage of Egypt and promised to
bring them to a new land, there was an obstacle in
their path. The mighty city of Jericho was a huge
fortress, and there was no way they could bring it
down militarily.
So, they prayed, and God gave them an
unorthodox battle plan. And it worked. The walls of the
fortress came down and the Israelites took control.
After that, they needed to conquer Ai, a city much
smaller than Jericho. But they didnt pray about
it, and when they went in, they were soundly
defeated.
The Bible says, Be anxious for
nothing, but in everything by prayer and
supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made
known to God (Philippians 4:6 NKJV). It
doesnt say that we should only pray about some
things or the big, scary things, but about
everything. [Greg Laurie from Harvest Ministries;
https://www.harvestdaily.com]
COMMENTARY
The Value of Prayer
If I had to name a sin that was prevalent
in the church today, it would be
prayerlessness. Breaking Gods commandments is the sin of
commission. In contrast, the sin of omission is not
doing what we should do.
So often we miss out on what God wants to
do in our lives because we dont pray. Yet
prayer isnt painful; its simply a commitment
we make in which we call out to the Lord.
However, we dont pray as much as we ought to.
We can pray anywhere, even in times that
were feeling stuck. Paul prayed in a dungeon.
Daniel prayed in a cave filled with hungry lions.
Peter prayed on the surface of the water, and then
he prayed underwater. And Jonah prayed from the
belly of a great fish. The main thing is that we
pray.
God doesnt care so much about the
length of your prayers. He doesnt care about the
eloquence of your prayers. But He does care about the
heart of your prayers.
That is true of worship as well. God is
not so interested in your posture, your volume,
or even your pitch (though its nice to have
great pitch). More than anything else, He looks on
the heart.
Jesus said, For your Father knows the
things you have need of before you ask Him
(Matthew 6:8 NKJV).
You might say, Well, if thats the
case, then why pray?
Heres the answer: Prayer is not
informing God; prayer is inviting God. When I call out
to the Lord in prayer and offer my petition,
Im not informing God of something He doesnt
already know. Im inviting God into my situation,
into my challenges, and into my problems.
We should think of prayer as a
relationship between a father and a child. The value of
prayer is that it keeps us in touch with God. [Greg
Laurie from Harvest Ministries;
https://www.harvestdaily.com]
From Panic to Prayer
Some people can sleep through anything.
Im not one of them. If I hear one little noise,
Im awake. If a bird chirps, Im awake. Im
a light sleeper.
Lukes gospel tells us that as the
disciples battled a violent storm on the Sea of
Galilee, Jesus was sound asleep. Water was coming
into the boat as it pitched back and forth. The
terrified disciples woke up Jesus, crying, Master,
Master, were going to drown! (Luke 8:24 NLT).
Yes, they panicked. But they also prayed. They
cried out to the Lord.
When we are in trouble, thats what we
need to do. Faith and worry cannot coexist. One
chases out the other. Do you know people who
dont get along? Maybe you want to invite one of
them to your house, but youre hesitant to
invite the other. There is always a conflict. Faith
and worry are that way. If there is worry, there
is no place for faith. Faith is driven out by
worry, and worry is driven out by faith.
Philippians 4 tells us, Dont worry
about anything; instead, pray about everything.
Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he
has done. Then you will experience Gods
peace, which exceeds anything we can understand.
His peace will guard your hearts and minds as
you live in Christ Jesus (verses 6"7 NLT).
I love how the J.B. Phillips translation
puts it: Dont worry over anything whatever;
tell God every detail of your needs in earnest
and thankful prayer, and the peace of God which
transcends human understanding, will keep constant
guard over your hearts and minds as they rest in
Christ Jesus.
It has been said that if your knees start
shaking, kneel on them. When things are scary, pray.
Cry out to God. [By Greg Laurie from Harvest
Ministries; https://www.harvestdaily.com]
ILLUSTRATION
Our Defense against Worry
We live in such a stress-filled society
today. We could write these words on the tombstones
of many Americans: HURRIED, WORRIED, BURIED.
Were constantly in motion, going from one thing
to another, from one worry to another. We can
get so stressed out that were almost
immobilized. Sometimes worry can absolutely paralyze a
persons life.
But as my friend Max Lucado has said,
Your anxiety decreases as your understanding of
your Father increases. That is really the
heart of the matter.
On July 24, 2008, my wife and I heard the
news that no parent ever wants to hear. We found
out that our son had suddenly left us for
Heaven. Anxiety, panic, worry, and fear all crashed
in at the same time. And as I bent beneath the
weight of it, I honestly wondered if I could
survive such a thing. As a pastor, I had spoken with
people over the years who had lost children, but
when it happened to me, I honestly wondered if I
could handle it.
But God was there for me. And one of the
reasons I have continued to preach since that day is
because of that, because God was there. If the Lord
had not come through for me on that day, I would
have given up preaching. But He did come through
for me.
Im not saying it has been easy. We
still miss our son, of course, and we still feel
deep pain. But we have found the truth of
Philippians 4:6"7: 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
understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through
Christ Jesus (NKJV).
Apply this truth, and turn your worries
into prayers. [Greg Laurie from Harvest
Ministries; https://www.harvestdaily.com]
CLOSING PEARL
Pray About Everything
Ive traveled all over the world, and
Ive never met a person with a strong prayer life
who is habitually unhappy. People who have
strong prayer lives take everything to the Lord -
their problems, concerns, needs, and desires - and
they leave them with him.
Its hard to be happy without prayer -
without trusting that God is in control.
Weve been looking at Gods formula
for happiness. Yesterday, we learned the first
part: Worry about nothing. Today well look at
the second part: Pray about everything.
Philippians 4:6 says, Pray about
everything. Tell God what you need (NLT).
Notice this verse doesnt say, Pray
only about big things or Pray only about
things you think are spiritual. It also
doesnt say, Pray about everything except your
career and things that are fun. It says to pray
about everything, not just about some things!
Some people have a logic that says,
God has things on his mind beyond my little
problems. Hes a busy God. Hes out there creating
universes. So how can I pray about my ingrown
toenail? They even think God would be insulted by
their little requests.
If thats the way you think today, you
are wrong. You may get too busy for God and too
busy to pray, but God is never too busy for your
problems. An infinite God can be interested in an
infinite number of things - all at the same time.
That means you can talk to him about everything
in your life: relationships, school, health,
work, and play.
Its been said, You cant stumble
if youre on your knees. If you want to be
happy, pray about everything! [Daily Devotional by
Rick Warren: https://pastorrick.com/devotional/]
LINKS FOR FURTHER STUDY
Philippians 4:6 - Turning Worry into Prayers.
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2022/20220428-1041.html
1 Thessalonians 5:17 - Pray Without Ceasing.
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2022/20220218-0854.html
YOUR COMMENTS
If anyone has a paraphrase, commentary or
testimony on this passage of Scripture, either
personal or otherwise, I would be interested in
hearing from you. Thanks in advance and let's keep
uplifting Jesus that all might be drawn to Him. Fred
Gibbs
