Requests for God

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 around Christmas time, my children all get their notebooks out and start to make lists.  They start looking through catalogs to see what they want.  They look online to see the items that interest them.  They talk with other children to see what they are wanting to get.  They write it all down and give it to my wife and I.  They bring their requests to us.  This is like our requests for God.

Be anxious for nothing.  To be anxious is to experience worry, unease, or nervousness, typically about an imminent event or something with an uncertain outcome.  This is not what God wants us to do because this assumes that God is not in control and He is.  He wants us to be in an experience of ease and peace.  He wants us to rest.  There is no reason for us to worry in the eyes of God.  We have no need to be nervous, scared, or uneasy.  We have rest because of God.

In everything by prayer and supplication.  God can be communicated with by prayer and supplication, which is a large word for strong asking.  When we have a need, God already knows it, but He wants us to ask.  He wants us to ask and be patient for what we ask for.  When we pray, we need to be specific.  We need to ask for what we exactly want.  Will we always get it?  No.  But we should ask for everything and trust God will fulfill it.

With thanksgiving.  When God does give us what we want, we need to be thankful.  When God does not give us what we want, we need to be thankful.  We need to be thankful in all ways and all things.  God is worthy of thanks because He does so much for us.  When He withholds, it is for a reason and we need to be thankful that He withholds.  He is doing it to get us more or save us from our own ask.

Let your requests be made known by God.  When we come to God, we come with our “Christmas lists.”  We have a bunch of items we want, hoping He will answer it.  Some He will and some He will not, similar to how our parents will get some things and not others.  God wants us to list what we want to Him.  Our requests to God are important.  He wants to hear each one.

Heavenly Father,

Thank You for all that You do for us.  We are thankful for You no matter what You give us because You have already done so much for us.  We will continue to pray to You and ask You for all that we need.  You are so awesome.  You love us so much.  We bow down and worship You alone.

In Your name we pray,

Amen