I thumbed through the once-familiar notations and prayed for guidance about a passage to meditate on this evening. The verse I settled on is from Philippians 4:6... Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.
At this moment I can name a minimum of six close friends who are going through difficult personal struggles. Their battlefield is not as straightforward as mine. Their journeys are riddled with debris along the way and potholes in the roadway. One grieves the loss of her father. Another is sorrowful over a serious accident. Still another is searching for answers to a family issue that affects many people. Someone else is facing life after cancer surgery. The list goes on. These are the battles where I believe the Lord is needed. My little battle with food and the lust for things of this world do not even make the Top 100 Problems To Take To Jesus.
Yet, the Apostle Paul is clear when he says, Be anxious for nothing... We all have our own daily problems, issues, circumstances and disagreeable situations to put on our personal prayer lists. And in my childlike faith, I believe that means the Creator of the Universe cares for every single one of us and whatever disturbs us, no matter the size or weight of the problem at hand.
I've walked those roads in the past that some of my friends are traveling today. I've lived through cancer, through seeing my mother and brother survive a serious accident, I've made it beyond the loss of my parents and other issues as well. And, understanding the need to be held up in prayer, today I am deeply involved in praying for those in my corner of the world who are currently under attack. I love these women and care more than I can express about each of those on my list!
However, their current situations should in no way diminish my own need to lay down my burdens at the feet of the Savior as well. Sounds shallow and a bit selfish, doesn't it? Why would Jesus possibly care about whether I lose a pound while some are hovering between life and giving up on life?
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.
Reading the verse again and taking it apart phrase by phrase, I see the key: by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.
I am not a theologian, nor a scholar of the Bible in any way. I just happen to believe that the Bible was written for simple people to chew on just as much as it was for those with six letters behind their surnames.
Today, in spite of the serious nature of others' circumstances and needs, I can continue to claim GOD's promises for me. In the area of food and lusting after things of this world, I make my request known to GOD as I thank Him for seeing His children as equally in need of His attention, no matter the current crisis, large or small.
Further down in chapter 4 of Philippians, I see verse 9, with my ballpoint underlining as follows, The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things; and the God of peace shall be with you.
Practice makes perfect. In this life, I shall never reach perfection, but in the sight of God, one day I shall be perfect. So today I commit to once again continue my own journey as I practice these things.
In the margin I see an old notation written near Philippians 4,
Contentment: freedom from the world.
O Lord, hear my humble prayer. Grant me contentment as I give my own will over to you. Be my portion, now and forever.
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