Nov 29 - Philippians 4:6

Do not worry about anything,

but in everything by prayer

and supplication with thanksgiving

let your requests be made

known to God.

Philippians 4:6

Have you ever tried to tell someone not to worry?

How well does it work?

Telling a person not to worry tries to engage their head rather than their heart. And indeed, sometimes a person can reason through the unlikelihood of the sky falling. Yes, sometimes a person can logically arrive at a place of lesser anxiety. But … if we’re honest … most times the head and the heart don’t talk. Am I right? If a fear is real in the heart, it’s hard to talk it away.

• That’s why, when trying to conquer our fears, Paul aims at a different part of our bodies to conquer our runaway minds: Our knees. He says essentially, “Do not worry about anything, rather … pray!”
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•      Then he mentions “supplication.” Supplication is prayer too. It is humble prayer, on-your-knees-prayer. It is pleading – and trusting – that there is one more powerful than you that can solve the problems you can’t solve.
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•      “Thanksgiving,” then, is prayer too. Directed toward God, thanksgiving is a form of praise. But thanksgiving also has a powerful effect directed at us. Thankfulness repeatedly retrains our heart. Instead of a heart that quakes with uncertainty, gratitude trains us to have a heart of wonder, hope, confidence, peace, and awe.
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•      “Let your requests be made known to God” is yet one more form of prayer. It is a form of trust. It is letting go of our sense of control – which is all an illusion anyway – and it is placing our hearts, our lives, our families, our jobs, our nation, our reputation in God’s hands. Trust, too, is a powerful antidote to worry.

In Christ’s Love,

a guy who wants a

multiplication of supplication