◄ What Does Philippians 4:6 Mean? ►

Prayer is the privilege of people who are saved by grace thorough faith in Christ, for by His sacrificial death and glorious Resurrection, He tore down the dividing wall between God and man and gave us access to His throne of grace, for mercy to find help in time of need. We are exhorted not to worry about anything, but instead to pray confidently about everything. We are to tell the Lord our needs, laying our petitions humbly at His feet and thanking Him for all He has done.

We are not to be anxious about anything, but are to bring everything in life to the Lord in prayer. We are to pray aright and this is only possible as we abide in Christ and He in us. We are to keep our hearts free from fretting and worry and this can only be achieved as we cast all our care and concern on the Lord Jesus, for He cares for us.

Being anxious for nothing is not a suggestion, it is a command and a responsibility for all who are born from above. Anxiety not only demonstrates a lack of confidence in God and a lack of faith in His Word, it is deliberate disobedience to His clear directive. The more we recognise God's sovereign hand in our daily problems and life's uncertainties, the more our anxious thoughts will melt away.

We are to tell Him all our needs, lay all our burdens down at His feet and leave them there, for as anxiety is set aside, so our faith will correspondingly increase. We are instructed to cast all our anxiety upon Him because He cares for us, but we are to do this with a heart of thanksgiving and an attitude of worship. Any inward-focused worries are to be replaced with God-honouring, God-focused, God-dependent prayer.

Worry has a detrimental effect on our fellowship with the Father, for as faith increases so worry is eliminated. But if worry is allowed to bubble-up in our heart and ferment in our mind, so faith begins to falter and the enemy is given a foothold.

There is nothing too great and nothing too small that cannot be given to the Lord, and there is no area in our life or the lives of others, about which we cannot come boldly to the throne of grace. There is no anxiety so disturbing that cannot be guarded by the perfect peace of God and no pain so deep that cannot be healed by His tender touch. 

In worry, we talk to ourselves. In prayer, we talk to God. When we worry, we focus on the circumstances of life, but in prayer, we focus on our Heavenly Father. Worry is self-centred and selfish and is rooted in the sin of unbelief, but prayer is God-centred and pleasing to Him, for prayer is built on a heart that trusts His Word and depends upon Him for all our needs.

True prayer comes from a worshipful heart of thanksgiving and praise that is looking to the Lord by faith to supply everything we need, according to His riches in glory. When the prayer of faith sees the Lord as the sole supplier of our every need, we should be anxious for nothing but trust Him in everything.

It is by faith that we were saved, and it must be by faith that we live. It is by faith that every anxious thought is banished from our heart, and when faith in our Heavenly Father is translated into prayers and supplication, with thanksgiving, our requests may be made in quietness and in confidence that He will hear and answer.

It is to God that our prayers and petitions are made and through our Saviour that our prayers are presented, because we have been saved by grace through faith in Him. May we maintain a heart of grateful thanksgiving and praise for all His goodness and grace to us, and may we be anxious about nothing, but in everything through our grateful prayers and entreaties make our requests known to Him, and we will discover His peace that passes understanding, guarding our heart and mind, as we abide in Christ and He is us.

Dear Lord, thank You that You know all things and that You know everything about me. Thank You that You hold today in Your hand and my future is secure in You. Thank You that I can cast all my cares upon You, for You care for me. Keep me from anxious thoughts and help me to train my mind on Jesus for I want to depend on You in all things, not only today but in the days that lie ahead. This I pray in Jesus' name, AMEN.