Philippians 4:6 (NKJV)
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;
Bible Commentary
Philippians 4:6 is a famous Bible verse from the New Testament that instructs us to replace our worry with prayer and thanksgiving to God. As Christians, there are some Bible verses we have heard so often that we become almost numb to them and their meaning. Together, let’s see if we can uncover the power in this popular one.
“Anxiety” is defined like this: worry or uneasiness about what may happen. “Worry” means: to treat roughly, as with continual biting; a troubled state of mind.
Very interesting—continual biting and a troubled state of mind definitely lends itself to a kind of torture. 1 John 4:18 says, “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment.”
We become so accustomed to anxiety, worry and stress that after a period of time we just accept it as normal.
It’s not normal.
God tells us over and over in the Bible, “Fear not.” He did not intend for us to go through life miserable, but unfortunately we don’t even know we are miserable until we experience something contrary to it. Revelation 3:17 says, “Because you say, ‘I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’—and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked—“
Jesus Christ is exactly the opposite of worry, stress, and fear. He is love. Yet even when we have the power of Christ living within us, anxiety and fear creep into our lives unaware.
Unlocking the Truth – Your Grateful Heart
The power of the Word of God reveals those things in us that don’t look like Jesus, so we can defeat and overcome the enemy in our lives. We don’t have to live miserable!
Look at the antidote to worry in Philippians 4:6, “…but in everything by prayer and supplication…”
Whatever in this life weighs us down and causes a troubled state of mind and a continual biting, let’s lift it up to God in prayer and leave our burden at the cross. That’s what the cross was designed to do—to relieve us of our burdens.
Another fascinating Greek meaning from the root word from “supplication,” is: petition; to beg (as binding oneself).
If we make a petition for something, we are making a formal request for something, as in writing. That’s what prayer and supplication are. We’re making a formal request in writing, reminding God what His Word says and depending upon Him to follow through on His promises.
Praying the words of the Bible back to God is a very effective way to pray. It helps confirm God’s promises in our hearts while we speak it out loud to God, showing an outward trust in His Word, while believing (expecting) His faithful answer.
Also note the other meaning of “supplication,” binding oneself. In our humanness, so many times we feel pressured to take matters into our own hands to make it happen. We think we’re trusting God, but in reality we have extreme difficulty holding ourselves back from doing it on our own.
God can’t get in the lead until we move out of the way. He won’t force Himself upon us. We must relinquish the power of control. Jesus, take the wheel! We want Him to carry our burden and be in the lead, but when we’re busy trying to make it work out the way we want, we’ve taken the burden out of His hands and started carrying it again.
Stop!
God Help Me
We must recognize that anxious toil, that striving inside of us. It’s fear–worry or anxiety. As soon as we recognize it, we can stop and look up to God for help. He is eagerly waiting to take it out of our hands and lift it off our shoulders.
Finally, Philippians 4:6 says, “with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.”
We might have to work at this part—being thankful while praying. When we’re in the middle of some kind of crisis, we have to make a concerted effort to look for something to be thankful for.
There are blessings and treasures all around us, but we tend to focus on what’s wrong, instead of what’s right. It’s difficult to swim upstream, but the more we practice the stronger we become and the easier it is to be thankful.
The Bible says to enter His courts with praise (Psalm 100:4). That’s what thanksgiving is. Our grateful heart attracts the Presence of God.
Study the Bible verse of Philippians 4:6, give up your burden of anxiety for prayer and thanksgiving, so you can enjoy the continual feast of a merry heart.
