Philippians 4:6-7 NIV: Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, 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.
Sometimes we need the reminder that there is nothing worth being anxious about. Even those Christians who have been on the road for a long time would do well to remind themselves of these verses. There is no situation that would not benefit from God’s intervention brought about by our thankful prayers and requests. All change starts by a heartfelt prayer from a full hearted believer.
Can you or I understand the power of prayer? Of course not. Absolutely not! Bear in mind that we must use our hearts and minds, but that God will guard our hearts and minds, IN CHRIST JESUS. Our prayers are shallow unless we invoke Jesus Christ in our words.
Verse 8 finishes this way: “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.”
Do we conveniently forget verse 8? The thoughts in our minds are invisible to others, and we can even think rubbish while telling others that we are turning over good things in our heads. Are you guilty of this hypocrisy? It’s personal, so the question becomes, “Am I guilty of looking good while thinking evil?” Paul makes his conclusion clear. Our thinking must be true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent and praiseworthy. We started out trying not to be anxious, but it is only by filling our minds with these good thoughts that it becomes possible.
As a final thought: I was part of a discussion when these verses were quoted, and we all agreed that this is also a prayer which should trip off our tongues easily, and every day.
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