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Be careful for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.
Philippians 4:6-8 (KJV)
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Be careful for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
What Paul is trying to tell us here could be considered a summary of what Jesus teaches us in Matthew 6:25-34.
Don’t worry. Don’t be anxious. About what? About anything!
Why?
Because God the Father knows all our needs, even before we know what they are!
Jesus draws our attention to the birds in the air, who do not grow their own food, but is fed by God. If God takes care of the birds and animals, how much more will He not take care of us, His children?
Rather than worrying or thinking about our needs, Paul tells us to share with the LORD what they are (despite the fact that He knows them all!) with thanksgiving.
We don’t share our needs with God because He doesn’t know what they are, we do so because it is our way of expressing our dependence on Him and trust in Him. We also take this opportunity to thank Him for all that He has already done for us (salvation in Jesus for example) and for providing for all our past needs.
Prayer is conversation with God, and it involves as much listening as it does talking. Do not consider prayer merely as a vehicle to ask God for things we need/want, rather, consider it as the way to build/strengthen our relationship with Jesus/God.
And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
So, what’s the result of praying instead of panicking?
Paul tells us that God’s peace will keep our hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
What does that mean?
As Jesus was getting ready to leave this world, He said this in John 14:27 (KJV):
Peace I leave with you, My peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
Here’s a great example from the Scriptures of the peace that Jesus promises us.
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And the same day, when the even was come, he saith unto them, Let us pass over unto the other side.
And when they had sent away the multitude, they took him even as he was in the ship. And there were also with him other little ships.
And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full.
And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish?
And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.
And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith?
And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?
Mark 4:35-41 (KJV)
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This passage itself can be the basis of another post, but I’ll leave that for another day 🙂
- Jesus was the One who decided that they should go to the other side (He sent them!).
- Jesus was asleep in the boat (He is silent, but ever present!).
- Jesus got up and commanded His peace over the storm (He heard their cries and answered!).
- Jesus asked the disciples where their faith was and why they were afraid of the storm (He reminded them that He is always in their midst and to trust in Him!).
For those of us who have placed our trust and faith in Jesus, He is with us, His peace is readily available to us, just as He/His peace was in the midst of the disciples in the passage we looked at.
Jesus promises us to keep us from breaking down and losing it all when things are not going our way.
In the midst of whatever struggles we as Christians may be facing, we can always stop to remember the Lord Jesus and His great sacrifice on the cross for sinners like us. Because of Jesus, we are redeemed, saved, spared from the wrath of God. Furthermore, we get to spend eternity with God in Heaven! How wonderful is that!
Through the Holy Spirit, the peace of God can and does prevail in our lives, all because of Jesus, which is why the verse explicitly states that our hearts and minds are kept through Christ Jesus.
Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.
So, through Paul, God tells us not to worry or be anxious/concerned, to take all those concerns/needs to Him and then, He tells us what to do to keep our minds occupied in a good way, rather than thinking about anything else that might cause us grief or anxiousness.
Instead, we are told to think about truth, honesty, justice, purity, love, good deeds, virtue and matters of praise.
One answer to what we can think about, is Jesus! Don’t you agree that He fits the bill for all categories mentioned?
Of course, we could take it down to an individual level.
If we all paused for a moment, we could come up with a number of things that fall into the categories above.
God has prescribed a way for us to to keep our minds from becoming the devil’s workshop, by dwelling on all that is from Him!
This not only keeps our mind away from our needs/concerns, but it also allows us to draw closer to God, the same way as prayer does!
I don’t know about you but I’d rather praise God and recall His goodness than worry/stress.
Christmas is almost here!
As I write this post, Christmas is right around the corner.
While for Christians, it is the time to celebrate the birth of our dear Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, for everyone in general (irrespective of whether they’re Christian or not), it’s a time to give and receive gifts.
If we were all honest, we would all come up with a list of one or more needs/wants that we have.
So, how does this talk about Christmas and gifts tie into Philippians?
Rather than worrying about our needs or how it will be met, this Christmas, let’s do what Paul suggests that we do.
Why don’t we stop worrying, make our requests known to God with thanks and then think about all that He would want us to think about?
How much better would this Christmas be?
How much would the world see what Christ has done for us and in us?
How much closer would the LORD draw to us, as we deliberately draw near to Him?
Such an attitude is not only applicable to Christmas time, but for every moment of our lives!
Before I close, here are some verses that I pray will encourage you to take Philippians 4:6-8 to heart and make your requests known to God.
In Matthew 18:19 (KJV), Jesus says:
Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven.
In John 14:14 (KJV), Jesus says:
If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.
Do remember that whatever is asked for, must be in accordance with what God would want for us, not what we think we ought to have!
God bless you all!
Thank Sri 🙂