Don’t worry about anything. Instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need and thank him for all he has done. (Philippians 4:6-7)
I’ve entitled this meditation with a word that I’ve made up! (Someone once said, “The mark of a true preacher is to make up words as you go along!” I try not to, but sometimes it just happens, because the made-up word suits so well what I’m trying to say.)
Here’s Paul, near the end of his life, imprisoned, once again uttering the words as instruction for his readers to be thankful. I’m struck by what he doesn’t say:
- while you are praying, would you please tell God to get me out of here!
- would you please remind God that I don’t deserve this!
- would you please enlighten God that I could do a lot more as a free man than as a prisoner!
- would you please tell the Romans that they’ve got the wrong guy; I’m harmless! Now, let me outta here!
None of that. He tells his readers not to worry about anything. Replace the urge, or impulse to worry, with the action of prayer. The content of that prayer is to be very specific, one that tells God what is needed. In terms of the timing of this request, tell him what you need both right now and going forward.
Then, Paul bases this prayer instruction not just on petition about what’s needed now and later, but on the remembrance that God has done special things for his people. Don’t forget those! We are able to come before God with petitions and thanksgiving because he has an impeccable track record with his people. He has done marvelous things. (I confess: it’s easy for me to get bogged down in the issues of the day, and forget that God has been at work for centuries—actually, for all eternity—in ways we can’t see, describe, quantify, or measure. My “immediate need” sometimes gets lost in the big picture, and my feeble attention turns to me rather to him.)
Our job is to not forget those wonderful things. Instead we are to thank God for all he has done. In other words, we intentionally pay attention to how he has cared for us in the past, and Paul wants us to be mindful of this, and to give God thanks for what he has done. He is saying it very clearly: don’t forget what he’s done, and when you remember His activities, give him thanks for that.
Paul lays it out like this:
don’t worry about anything
lift up to him whatever is needed
in your commitment to not worry, and to take to Him whatever is needed, let your heart response be one of thanks—for what He’s done, how he cares for you. He is the Father and will care for his children. And intentionally, we don’t forget to say thanks for that!
“Father, may we always remember to give thanks to you, and never forget what you have done for us! We confess we are often distracted, and hurried, and bring a long list of things each day that we need to do. It’s easy for us to check things off the list and keep moving, and fail to pause with a grateful heart and say to you, ‘thank you.’ We do that now!”
Freddy Boswell 