“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God” (Philippians 4:6).

You can worry or you can pray.

Pay attention to these words – “anything” and “every situation”.

“Do not be anxious” about some things?

Nope.

“Do not be anxious about ANYTHING.” That covers everything. There’s not one thing that we are to be anxious about.

Why is that? How can that be?

Because we are to pray, petition, and present our requests to God in some situations?

Nope.

“But IN EVERY SITUATION, by prayer and petition, present your requests to God.”

Did you notice, I skipped a phrase? I did that on purpose. Because that little phrase is the key to this whole thing.

We are to pray, petition, and present our requests to God in every situation WITH THANKSGIVING. Isn’t that great? God wants us to pray, petition, and present our requests to God in every situation with thanksgiving because we know that God answers prayers! God wants us to thank him in advance because we know that God will work all things for the good for those who love him.

That’s pretty awesome!

Now, you need to know that this speaks to me as much as you. There are times when worry and anxiety gets the best of me. But worry and anxiety can’t do a darn thing. Worry and anxiety changes nothing. It only puts me in a bad mood.

So, you have a choice. You can either worry or you can pray?

So, what are you going to do?

“When you pray…” (Matthew 6:5).

“When you pray…” (Matthew 6:6).

“When you pray…” (Matthew 6:7).

Interesting. Jesus assumes that his disciples are praying. Jesus doesn’t say, “Should you pray, ” or “If you pray.” Jesus simply assumes, “When you pray.”

So, is that the case with you?

If you are praying, you will encounter resistance. Things get busy. You’ve got a life to live. But the biggest hindrance to prayer, if you have a conscience, is guilt. See, we are all sinners. Not only that, we are repeat sinners. And we go to God with the same ol’ sins over and over. And, in time, guilt and shame overwhelm us.

That guilt and shame? Should the guilt and shame lead us to pray and trust God more, great. But, there are times, when guilt and shame causes us to run from God.

Remember what happened in the Garden when the first couple sinned?

“Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the LORD God among the trees of the garden” (Genesis 3:8).

Shame does that. It makes us want to escape God’s holiness.

When that happens, fight it. Push through it. When you want to run from God, instead, RUN TO GOD!

Never limit your prayers because you think you are sinful and undeserving. You’re not praying because of who you are. You are praying because of who God is.

It is absolutely true that you are sinful and undeserving. That’s why you need God’s grace and forgiveness even more. There was never a time when we were not sinful and undeserving. So, don’t let that keep you from praying. That would be silly. God already knows we are sinful and undeserving. That’s why God makes a way for repeat sinners to become sons and daughters in Jesus Christ.

Keep on praying!

“One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, ‘Lord, teach us to pray” (Luke 11:1).

One day Jesus was praying…

This wasn’t an one-off occasion. Jesus regularly prayed. So much so that the disciples noticed a major difference in Jesus before and after Jesus spent time in prayer. The disciples wanted to know how to pray like Jesus.

Today’s reflection is short. I’ll get right to the point.

IF JESUS NEEDED TO PRAY, DON’T YOU THINK YOU NEED TO PRAY?

So, do it right now. Talk to God. Seek God’s will.

Pray.