Philippians 4:6
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
This passage tells us we can go to God with any concern we might have. But it also tells us to begin with thanksgiving. This makes so much sense to me. Starting with thanksgiving will help to center me, and to add in some reality before I go off into what I need from God. There is always much to be thankful for, even in the midst of great need.
Holy Father, you have provided me with all that I need and so much more. I thank you for your many blessings. I want to be the person you intended for me to be. Be with me today, God, and help me with my choices. I am grateful. Amen
Becky, transforming
Anxiousness is one of many feelings that could be used in this verse. It comes down to whatever is occupying your mind to the detriment of your health or ability to function can be lessened by prayer and petition. When I pray thankfully then those other feeling go away, at least for a while.
Dear Lord it seems that today if we aren’t anxious then we aren’t acting normal. Help me to see how easy it is to put these feelings aside a talk to you. Amen.
Philippians 4:6 When I am anxious I am not trusting God, In this passage, the Apostle Paul encourages us to rely upon God’s care when we start to worry. He wasn’t shaming us or telling us to deny our feelings. The comforting truth in this passage is that God is near me and when I’m anxious He offers me His peace, a peace that will protect me from the destructive effects of continual anxiety. My part in experiencing God’s peace is to ask God in prayer for what I need and to thank Him for the good things He provides. “Don’t worry. Be happy!” Give all my thoughts and prayer to God in place of anxiety, and begin to watch hi…Philippians 4: 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
I find that I fall short of not being anxious about things. I am a worrier, but I have been attempting to change that with very little success. I am finding that I now pray to God about my problem and find that he does help me, by giving me a peace I have never known before. God has His plan, and it may not always end the way I would like but He changes the mentality I have about the problem and gives me peace.
Dearest Lord, you never promised me that you would do…
Philippians 4:6
I will risk repetition and make note of the words “anything” and “everything.” Even our prayers of desperate need for ourselves or others should be accompanied by thanksgiving. Our cultural obsession with individualism and self-sufficiency can blunt our sense of dependence on God. A focus on thanksgiving in all circumstances can correct this spiritual shortcoming.
Prayer - Merciful God, I give thanks for this new day and yet another chance to shed my outer shell of a sinful man and move another step toward sanctification. Amen
TAA
Philippians 4:6 Again, thanking God is at the end of the list. Maybe, as Kay has suggested, that should come first. God needs to know how much we appreciate all we have and all that is to come. I know that I am going to try and reverse my prayers this way. Prayer: gracious God thank you for all you have blessed me with and more. Amen