We Have Forgotten How to Pray (Philippians 4:6-7)

“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” 

(Philippians 4:6-7)

Let’s hang out right here in Philippians 4:6-7 today. It’s a very popular Bible verse that holds incredible insight on prayer, anxiousness, and peace. Paul wrote, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication …” Anxiety, concern, and worry is what we experience when we face challenges with no apparent or immediate solution. It’s quite common to feel this way—to be worried about circumstances outside of our control.

God knew we would be anxious at times. That’s why this scripture is here. Think about human instructions. If you have a recipe for biscuits and it tells you ‘Do not over mix the dough’, it’s because you’d probably over the mix the dough if they didn’t warn you not to. But even with the warning, you might still mistakenly overmix the dough. It’s the same with biblical instruction. God tells us through the Apostle Paul to not worry. But sometimes we do … it’s normal. That’s life.

But the remedy for anxiety is prayer. ‘Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication”. Now, this is where the text gets interesting. Because Paul says ‘prayer’ and ‘supplication’. What does this mean? Well, prayer is simply communication to God, just as supplication is. Yet, a supplication is more likened to an entreaty. It is a plea, a cry, an earnest request, or desire.

In life, I am learning to look to Jesus for all things—including how prayer should be modeled. So, when considering prayer, I looked to the perfect model prayer, the Lord’s prayer, found in Matthew 6:9-13. Jesus says, “In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name.” So, first and foremost, prayer is about acknowledgement.

When we pray, it is important that we remember that we are approaching a God whose name is holy. We are speaking to the Creator, the all-powerful God Almighty. In prayer, reverence, respect, and adoration should first flow from our mouths unto our Lord, for His name alone is holy. Notice Christ does not mention God’s marvelous acts or his outstanding character before he declares that our Father is holy. God’s name alone is worthy of praise. He is holy without performing any act, and because of His holiness, He is due our acknowledgement.

Christ then says, “Your kingdom come, Your will be done”. This is also about acknowledgment. In prayer, we admit that this is about God. It’s about His kingdom, for He is King and Lord, and we desire that His will be done. We pray His will versus our will because we recognize that His way is greater and exceedingly more perfect and seamless than anything our limited minds can will for ourselves. Again, prayer is about acknowledgement.

But it’s also about thanks. Paul says, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;” So, of course prayer is not only about acknowledging the holiness of God’s name, but it is also about thanking him. In prayer, we thank God for what he has done. For his provision and protection. We thank him for his character, his love, grace, and mercy.

Be mindful that prayer is like entering into the gates of heaven with our words. And if we are in the heavenly courts with our Father, we should first acknowledge the King but also thank Him for allowing us into His presence. In earthly kingdoms, citizens do not have the privilege to randomly approach the king. In fact, Esther 4:11 details how if a citizen approached their king without being called, they were put to death.

And yet, we have this Most High God who allows us to enter his presence at any time through prayer. We do so through the blood of Christ. Because of Jesus’s death, we can approach God the Father without the stain or scent of sin. We can come boldly because we have been washed and made holy. That in of itself, is enough to thank God for.  

So, as we pray, as we enter God’s heavenly courts, we should come with thanksgiving as Paul wrote in Philippians 4. We should come as it is written in Psalms 100:4, “Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.” Prayer is about praise and thanks to a God who has given us more than what we deserve.

Referring back to the Lord’s prayer in Matthew 6, we see Jesus tell the disciples to ask for daily bread, which is a basic human necessity. We should pray for physical nourishment, but we should also partake in the spiritual nourishment that is Jesus Christ, the Bread of Life (John 6:35). Jesus tells them to ask for forgiveness and to also extend forgiveness, “forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors” (v.12).

Jesus continued in His model prayer and told us to pray that we are not led into temptation but delivered from the evil one. (Matthew 6:13). Prayer is about asking the Lord to lead us down paths of righteousness. It’s about asking Him to steer us away from not only the evil that’s in the physical and spiritual world, but the evil that lurks in our very own flesh.

Prayer is so much more than what we have made it to be. It’s much bigger than our personal supplications. We have made prayer solely about our petitions, while neglecting the acknowledgement that is due God. We have neglected the praise and thanks that is due God, and the basic petition to be led down paths of righteousness.

Unfortunately, many of us only come to God in prayer to beg for our personal petition but we ignore how Christ modeled prayer for us. We have become accustomed to asking God for our desires while neglecting to ask God to help us flee temptation. In giving God our supplications, we have forgotten how to pray.

May God have mercy on our forgetfulness! May He extend us grace for our neglect to pray for matters of the soul, matters of the spirit, and matters of things most holy and divine. May He help us pray right, to pray in a way that pleases Him.

Yes, we are to give God our petitions as Paul wrote. If you have a desire, a plea, or a request, it is your right as a child of God to give that supplication to God. Hannah cried and pleaded for a child. Hezekiah prayed for help in war, and the woman with the issue of blood desired healing. And because they placed their petitions before God, they received a favorable answer.

I am in no way discouraging you from giving God your supplications. I am only asking that you give God your prayer and your supplications. And glory be to God … as we give God our prayer and supplications, look at what He gives us in exchange, “ “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6-7)

Peace.

When you pray, God gives you peace. Prayer is about a divine exchange between earth and heaven. You, as a citizen of earth, give God, who is in heaven, your problems and anxiety, and in exchange, He gives you peace. A peace that surpasses understanding … that means it doesn’t make sense. That means God will give you peace that doesn’t make logical sense.

Because prayer is really about “guarding your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus”. We’re always looking for a ‘yes’ when we pray. But prayer is not about receiving a ‘yes’ or a ‘no’. Prayer is about keeping your heart and mind embedded in Christ despite the circumstances. Prayer is about receiving peace despite the challenges. Prayer is about receiving Christ.

Because even if God gives you a yes to your supplication, it will not be the source of your peace. Even if He agrees to do the thing that you so greatly desire, you’ll soon discover that what you have been granted is not the source of true happiness. True peace and happiness lays in Christ, and prayer is one way He gives it to us.

So, reader know that prayer is so much bigger than what we have made it to be. Prayer is bigger than what we think because God is bigger than what we know. I encourage you to pray. Pray as Christ has modeled. Acknowledge God as being holy. Give thanks and praise. Ask Him to lead you down paths of righteous, holy, living, and not into temptation or evil. And do this consistently! 1 Thessalonians 5:16-17 reads, “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” 

Prayer is God’s will for you. He desires that you pray, and you do so as Christ has modeled for you. We have forgotten how to pray, but it’s not too late to remember. So, pray. Pray as God has led, and may you be blessed for completing God’s will on earth.

That’s all I have for you today. May God bless you and keep you is my prayer. Until next time, take care.

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With love,

Quintella Arrington