Bible Basics

Pray and Be Thankful

Paul says, “Be anxious in nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God” (Phil. 4:6). Clearly the antidote to our anxiety is to place all of our concerns in the hands of the Lord. As Peter expresses it, “Humble yourselves under the might hand of God . . . casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you” (1 Peter 5:6, 7). We are to make our requests “known unto God” by “prayer and supplication.” Certainly this does not imply that God does not know what our needs are, for Jesus said, “your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things” even before we ask Him. So why must we ask? The preposition “unto” (pros) means “in the presence of,” or “before” and indicates that we are simply bringing our needs before God rather than informing Him of things He does not know. God wants us to be impressed with the fact that “every good gift and every perfect gift is from above” (James 1:17) and we are dependent upon Him for every blessing of life. Intrinsically connected to our prayers and supplication is our thanksgiving for all that He has done for us in times past. If we refuse to recognize the blessings He has granted in past, how can we expect Him to bless us in the future? In this way, true faith is “anxious in nothing.”

                                                                                                               -- Clark Dugger

Bible Basics