Philippians 4 - 5.1.23
Scripture
Philippians 4:6-7 NLT
“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.”
Observation
This is the apostle Paul’s final letter to the Philippians. In it, he encourages them to keep their eyes fixed on Jesus, to remember to practice all the things that he has taught them, to settle any lingering disputes, to be joyful in the Lord, and to give ALL their worries and concerns to God in prayer. 🙏🏽
In this verse I chose today, Paul is reminding us as believers that we can speak directly to God. He is the maker of Heaven and Earth. He is the One who has all power and authority, and is in control of every situation. So why not take our concerns to God? He loves us, and yearns to have that relationship with us.
*Please note: God doesn’t always promise to change every situation to our liking. What He does promise is to give us peace during any situation.*
Application
Allow me to quote a rapper from the 90’s, “We need to pray just to make it today.” -MC Hammer 😎
I like the idea our church had for people who were trying to build a good prayer life. It’s called “First 5, Last 5.” The concept behind this is to spend our first 5 minutes in the morning in prayer, and the last 5 minutes of our day in prayer. It’s a great way to begin and end our day!
Then like any discipline we are trying to build, we can up the frequency. Maybe from 5 minutes, do 10 minutes. Then, slowly start implementing prayer throughout the day. We can pray and thank God before each meal. It’s a great way to build our prayer life and open up our communication with God.
But how should I pray? Well, may I recommend the acronym A-C-T-S.
A-Adoration: Start your prayer by adoring God for Who He is. (i.e. God you are holy and worthy to be praised. You are my rock my redeemer.)
C-Confession: Confess your sins to God. Ask for His forgiveness.
T-Thanksgiving: Give God your gratitude. Thank Him for all He has done in your life and has blessed you with. Even thank Him for some of the difficulties you may be facing. Acknowledge that You know He is good, and that He is always with you. Know that He has a purpose for everything, and He will work all things together for good for those who are called according to His purpose-(Romans 8:28).
S-Supplication: This is a fancy word for making requests. Make your requests known to God, just like the verse I chose today reminds us to! 😊
Prayer
Father God, I know that You are omniscient. You already know my requests before I even ask it. But, I know You desire a relationship with me. You want me to come to You and communicate with You through prayer. Forgive me for the times I’m too busy or too tired to talk with You. Thank You for always being there for me, waiting for me with open arms. I pray that I can continue to seek You each day in prayer. May I experience Your peace in my heart and mind because of my times spent with You. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen. 🙏🏽
-Moses Gaddi