Words of Hope: Sacred Blue Prints When Life is Hard
God has been surprising me lately. I have been meditating on these verses, “Do not be anxious about anything but through prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” I have a section in my daily prayer journal where I write, “Formal Requests to God.” The word “present” has a formality to it that I find interesting. These are my requests that I pray will be from the very depth of my spirit: healing, restoration, redemption, salvation, transformation. I pray for God’s good gifts.
As I give these requests, I ask that if these requests give God glory and honor, He will fill me with peace that guards my heart and mind. If the prayer is not the best that God desires, I pray that I will feel unsettled until I listen and discern to hear a better request.
I love how these verses give us the road map for how to live, our marching orders in times of unsettling difficulty and unrest.
a. Do not be anxious about anything…not one thing. Anxiety is linked to pancreatic cancer. It is a toxic emotion. Psalm 37 says, “Do not fret…it leads only to evil.”
b. Prayer and supplication with thanksgiving. That’s a beautiful combination. Prayer as deep listening and communication with God, supplication as asking with passion and earnest, thanksgiving because God dwells in praise. He inhabits our thanksgiving.
c. Present my requests to God. God delights in giving us good things. He is the giver of light, truth, and love. All good gifts come from Him.
d. The peace of God that transcends understanding will guard our hearts and minds. These are the vulnerable places Satan tries to attack. The heart, which is the place where courage and action dwells and the mind, where we discern the good and pleasing will of God.
What a joy these beautiful blue prints for a transformational encounter with God brings to us.
Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, 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. – Phil. 4: 6-7
