PRAYER, SUPPLICATION, THANKSGIVING
Like an electric shock, the
name of someone I loved dearly flashed into my mind at 3 a.m. and jolted me
awake. So I lay there praying for the one who was trying hard to run away from
God. When it is dark and the imagination runs wild, there are fears that only a
mother can understand.
Suddenly the Lord said to me, “Quit studying the problems and start studying
the promises.”
So I turned on the light and got out my Bible. The first passage that came to
me was Philippians 4:6-7, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer
and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;
and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts
and minds through Christ Jesus”
(NKJV). Suddenly I realized the missing ingredient in my prayers had been “with
thanksgiving.” So I put down my Bible and spent time worshiping God for who He
is and what He is. Even contemplating what little we do comprehend of God
dissolves doubts, reinforces faith and restores joy. I began to thank God for
giving me this loved one in the first place. I even thanked Him for the
difficult spots that taught me so much.
Do you know what happened? It was as if suddenly someone turned on the lights
in my mind and heart, and the little fears and worries, which like mice and
cockroaches had been nibbling away in the darkness, suddenly scuttled for
cover.
That was when I learned that worship and worry cannot live in the same heart;
they are mutually exclusive.
Pastor
David Jones
Borrowed from
R.B.G.