Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. Philippians 4:6 KJV
In a world full of uncertainties and inconsistencies, today's extract seems a bit out of place. In a world that teaches the law of the jungle, where it is 'eat, or be eaten', there is a need to re-examine the words for consideration today, and see what God would have us know. Paul was writing to the saints, as well as the bishops and deacons in the church in Philippi, so let us not think he was writing to unbelievers who had no idea who God is, or what He can do. You would expect the bishops and deacons to know better, but this is where God's grace and mercy find expression in the daily lives of men. It is never about the titles of men or the opinions from men, but what God says. I should not be concerned with the expectations or the demands of men, but rather focus on that which God wants me to know. What has He provided? What is He asking of and from me?
First, be careful for nothing. Easy to say, right? Well, back to the beginning: it is about who lives on the inside of you. If you belong to God, you have a measure of His Spirit in you, and you have the greatest power in the world on your side. It will not always be rosy, but with God's presence, you are assured of joy beyond your circumstances. If my heart is filled with all that God supplies, there is no room for anything else. There can only be room for fear and anxiety if I allow it. Secondly, it is not about passive resistance but about active offence: Prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving. You cannot be filled with murmuring, complaining and whining, and still have room to pray. How can I pray if I am filled with jealousy of another man's achievements? How can I pray if my heart is not freed from the burden of man's expectations?
It is prayer, not murmuring. It is an engagement with God, not a pity party. I can come and cry and tell God everything about how you feel, but I must make sure I pray. It is prayer that engages God. By praying, I am telling God that I accept His Lordship over all that I am, have and experience. By praying, I engage God's help in the situations and circumstances around me. Getting to the calm may not happen overnight, but by consistent practice, God becomes the daily reality of my life. When my default setting is to go to God for everything, I am developing a relationship with God that tells him that I value his friendship and leading in my life. That is the secret to the calm that God promises: not by labour, striving and campaigning but by seeking God in all that comes. When God is my all, He gives his all. What more could a man want?
We make judgements based on human perceptions and the images presented before us. We are distracted by the things the world wants us to see, or the things the world wants us to think we do not have. The world cannot explain the benefits and blessings of the presence of God because it does not have it. That which it has, the world will flaunt and promote. We have God living inside of us, therefore we can face all that the world throws at us. We take advantage of that knowledge, and we go to God for everything. Nothing is too small or too big to take to him. He is the double-breasted One, whose hands are wide enough for all of us to be engraved thereon. I come to him with all that I need, and I know He is sufficient. With God with me, I have all that I need. I can thank Him for all He is, and all He gives ne. What can I lack when all of God is available? God's time of favour is here.
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