dessert only

::: in the constellation of bible verses that shed light on christian prayer, philippians 4:6-7 is one of the brightest...


verse 6
do not be anxious about anything
but in everything
by prayer and supplication
with thanksgiving
let your requests be made known to God

verse 7
and the peace of God,
which surpasses all understanding
will guard your hearts and your minds
in Christ Jesus



...like a child begging to skip supper vegetables for the sweetness of dessert, i often hurry through verse 6 in order to get to the promise of verse 7: the surpassing and securing peace of God in Christ Jesus...

...yet running through verse 6 -- like skipping dinner -- deprives us of the life-transforming nutrition that a biblically-grounded prayer life affords...that's because verse 6 teaches us:

• the posture of prayer: "do not be anxious about anything"

• the praxis (or process) of prayer: "with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God"

...prayer continues to be an area where i need to mature...when i pray, as much as possible i try to use and memorize philippians 4:6-7 and other pertinent passages as my blueprint for biblical prayer...many times, however, for me and others i seek God's surpassing and securing peace (the promise of verse 7), all the while maintaining a posture of anxiety, which, in turn, cuts off the flow of thanksgiving that ought to saturate my prayers...

...anxiety has a way of arresting gratitude, leaving us with little rest...

...the result: a childish poutiness to my prayers, a dim hue cast over my hopes...rooted in anxiety and ingratitude, these prayers rise as the "no-dinner-dessert-only" prayers proscribed by philippians 4:6-7...

...in such dimness, the corrective points of verse 6 shine bright...

• verse 6 sheds light on my posture in prayer, alleviating my anxiety and elevating my trust in the nature and character of our triune God

• verse 6 sheds light on my praxis in prayer, stirring me to pray not from the starting point of unthankful complaint, but from that of thankful contentment (another outstanding virtue of paul's theology)

...as you and i continue to grow in philippians 4:6-7 prayer, can we daily remember that the posture and praxis of verse 6 steer us to an enriched understanding of the promise of verse 7?...otherwise, neglecting to remember makes us malnutritioned christians content with little more than childish no-dinner-dessert-only prayers...

:::