Present Your Requests

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Phil 4:6-7 (NIV)

Why do we worry about stuff instead of praying to God about the stuff we worry about? Anxiety evaporates our joy and constricts our passion. The things we worry about become fixated in our minds and consume our emotional reserves. This is not the life God has for us.

When all else fails, we then choose to pray. Why is that? What keeps us from turning to God in prayer the moment worry appears? Our first response to anxiety should be to pray. Maybe we feel that we just don’t have time to pray. We always have plenty of time to worry. Let’s make time to pray.

Instead of being anxious about anything, in everything, let’s choose to present our requests to God by prayer and petition. Prayer is our unbroken communion with God through heartfelt communication. When we present our requests to God through petition, we are praying specifically about those things that produce anxiety in us.

The more specific your prayer life becomes, the more dynamic the results will be. Move beyond generic prayers and ambiguous requests. Get specific about each detail that keeps you from walking in the victory and the freedom that has been purchased for you by Christ.

Be thankful in your circumstances. Express your gratitude to God in prayer by specifically articulating all the things you are thankful for. It is possible to miss the rose by focusing on the thorns. What are you thankful for right now? Express that to God. Thank Him for your salvation. Thank Him for allowing you to have this day to experience His presence and to know His peace. Thank God for loving you unconditionally and for including you in His redemptive plan.

Pursuing God,

Stephen Trammell
Executive Pastor
Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell