6 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. 7 Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.it matters.  (Phil 4:6-7)

These famous verses have been among my favorites since I became a Christian in college. I believe them.    And yet I still struggle daily with worry.

Verse 6 tells us to do four things:

  • 1) Don’t worry . . . about anything
  • 2) Pray about everything.   Everything . . .
  • 3) Tell God what you need
  • 4) Thank God for all he’s done.

I was decent at praying about things, great at sharing what I thought I needed, and  horrible at thanking God for all he had done.

And I wondered why God wasn’t providing the peace he had so clearly promised in the verse.   Maybe it was because I wasn’t being thankful.

There seems to be–at least in my life–a solid correlation between how thankful I choose to be, and how much peace I have.  In short, when I intentionally thank God for the things he has done, my anxiety level often goes down.   If I don’t, I find it more difficult to not worry.

Thankfulness isn’t always a natural activity; I have to work at it and be intentional about it.

Sometimes we can reset our whole perspective just by taking 10 minutes to do nothing but thank God for anything and everything that comes to mind.  If you don’t believe me, try it right now.

If we follow the commands of verse 6, verse 7 promises we will experience “God’s peace.”

I spent too much of my life asking God to change my circumstances.     God wasn’t necessarily promising an easier situation, but he promised peace, which turned out to be what I really wanted anyway.

What are some ways you can be more thankful in prayer?

What are some of God’s blessings we most take for granted?

What one thing can you do today to develop of lifestyle of gratitude?