Thursday, May 18, 2023
Last weekend, we were introduced to the P.R.A.Y. acronym. As a refresher, “P” is for pause, and “R” is for rejoice and reflect. Today, we’ll be focusing on “A” for ask.
It makes me so happy to know that God wants me to ask him for what he is already willing to give me … according to his will for me. I think we forget that part sometimes! But if we have done the “R,” which is how Paul begins our scripture passage today, we have rejoiced in all that God has done for us so far! (I love the NIV translation.)
Philippians 4:4-5 NIV
4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.
We have the assurance that the Lord is near! We do not need to strive and work and fret about all that is not as we would like it to be! We can be gentle, calm, peaceful. Our confidence is in the Lord and his presence in our lives! Therefore, we can pray with this confidence, so Paul writes:
Philippians 4:6 NIV
Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
Who is not anxious these days? And yet, remembering that Paul was in a Roman prison when he wrote this, he can tell us not to be! My situation might be bad, but I am not (currently!) in prison. Paul says, in every situation, with prayer and petition—that’s asking! But don’t look past with thanksgiving, or in expectation of what God is already willing to do in his timing and for his purpose.
If we trust God with our lives and surrender our will to him, we can trust him to provide the outcome that will best move his kingdom forward. Surrendering all that anxious worry to an all-powerful, all-loving, all-knowing God takes the burden off of our frail shoulders and places it on the strong and steady shoulders of the One who created it all in the first place. Then Paul promises:
Philippians 4:7 NIV
And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:4-7 were the first verses I ever memorized after I gave my life to Christ. Anyone who has spent any time with me knows that I live by these verses! In every situation, don’t be anxious, but ask God and thank him, expecting him to bring the best! Then rest in his peace as he guards your heart and mind! These are verses worth memorizing in our world, just as they were in Paul’s!
Questions:
What makes you anxious? Have you shared your concerns with God?
Next Steps:
Take some time to answer the question above and journal about it, writing a letter to God. Read over Philippians 4:4-7 several times, and listen to what God is telling you. He wants to bring you his peace!
Prayer:
Lord Jesus, as I pause and reflect on your movement in my life, I thank you that I can come to you with all my worries and concerns. I am confident that you hear my prayers and respond to me in the way that is best for me and whatever I am praying about. Help me remember to always come to you and rest in your peace—the peace that transcends understanding. Thank you for guarding my heart and my mind. Keep them set on you and you alone, for you are my hope! Amen.
Series Theme Verse:
Luke 8:15
And the seeds that fell on the good soil represent honest, good-hearted people who hear God’s word, cling to it, and patiently produce a huge harvest.