November 27, 2022

Philippians 4: 6 (NIV)

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

The meaning of prayer is that we get hold of God, not of the answer.*

In this passage, Paul encourages us to pray about everything. He says to be thankful and to present our requests to God. He doesn’t qualify it by adding limitations and restrictions. Afraid your prayers will be selfish and shallow? They probably will be until you have established the close relationship with God that a rich prayer life affords. As the next verse promises, the peace of God (which is beyond human understanding) will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. 

Looking for some guidelines to help you mature in your life of prayer? Jesus told his disciples how to pray – and how not to pray. We can read about it in Matthew, chapter 6, which also contains his model prayer, AKA The Lord’s Prayer. In his prayer tutorial, Jesus presented examples of what to pray for: 

· God’s will to be done 

· Our daily bread 

· Forgiveness 

· Deliverance from temptation and evil 

There are other scriptures that provide helpful prayer hints. Some of those include: 

· James 1: 5, 6 (for wisdom) 

· Matthew 9: 39 (for workers) 

· James 5: 14, 15 (for the sick) 

· Matthew 5: 44 (for those who persecute us) 

· I Timothy 2: 1-3 (for those in authority over us) 

Finally, another word from the apostle Paul: pray continually. (I Thessalonians 5: 17) So what are you waiting for? Go pray!

Do you want to know how to deepen your prayer life? Pray. Don’t prepare to pray. Just pray. Don’t read about prayer. Just pray. Don’t attend a lecture on prayer or engage in discussion about prayer. Just pray.*