Trading Anxiety for Prayer

Day 276: Philippians 4:1-23

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” - Philippians 4:6 NIV

Ben Witherington writes, "Verse 6 brings a further exhortation, this time to give up counterproductive anxiety, which in any case betrays a significant failure to trust the Lord."

Paul gives us the cure for anxiousness in every situation where we may find ourselves. The antidote is prayer. Yet he gives three different words to describe his prescription of prayer. The first term is the general word used in communicating with God (proseuche). The second word used speaks to the form of prayer that lays out all requests (deesei). The last word used (aitemata) probably speaks to the content of our prayers.

The point? We all need deep, consistent, thoughtful, and earnest prayer. Plus, we have to have a plan for prayer. These three words communicate that Paul believed we have to be intentional or we won’t be consistent in our prayer lives.

What are you anxious about today? What seems insurmountable? We see in the verses following that Paul had been worried about finances, and God had met him with what he needed every time.