Philippians 4:5–7 ESV
…The Lord is at hand;
do not be anxious about anything, 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 your minds in Christ Jesus.
I’ve disappeared for a while now. I quit.
On a cold Sunday night this last November, I read a verse that overwhelmed me. After an hour outside on a walk, a new dedication filled my heart. The subject matter is irrelevant. The commitment to God was apparently heavier than I thought, and God wasn’t the only one in the spiritual realm that had heard it.
Looking back, I may have been right on the edge of something amazing in my journey with God, but I remember that next Saturday night and the words I spoke to myself, “It took the Enemy 6 days…6 days to wipe me out.” I hadn’t taken heed lest I fall. In that week, everything changed. I gave up. No prayer, no scripture, barely at church. In 6 days, I went from a spiritual high to absolutely surrendering every ground claimed over the last year and some months.
Praying through the Bible was right. Prayer was right. Prayer is good.
Prayer makes no sense.
Prayer moves mountains and at the same time must be an end to itself. How many people have prayed as they were beheaded? Prayed as they died of cancer? Prayed as their children went prodigal? Prayed as their spouse packed a bag and left? Who am I to be different? Who am I to receive something different?
Solomon said it best when he said time and chance happen to everyone, and that became my new motto. It’s a crap shoot. The search for some peace, something that would replace the answer that God seemed to be refusing to give me commenced. God was good, but I settled into the fact that He was a distant God; something I new in my heart to be false. He is ever present and Emmanuel.
Two good friends conversed with me over theology. I love theology. How could a theology genius not love it? And without my approval or request, the Holy Spirit called me back. In their words, their search for God, the Spirit asked why I stopped searching. Alone in a room, once again, just like at the beginning, I cried out to God, confessed my sins, asked His forgiveness. The inner knowledge of His love, like what Paul talks about, filled every part of me. The burden of sin and guilt lifted off me and my Father, Brother and Comforter where all in the room with me once again. I forgave enemies, prayed for those that were rejecting me and asked for good things for friends.
I don’t know what I’m doing. I may never. Maybe I’m thinking too hard. My jerk best friend always tells me I am. I love him though.
Starting again.
So, back in the saddle, I found a new problem. I was too tired and spent to start again. I want to collapse into a sea of believers and beg them to hold up my hands for me; intercede for me because I have no strength.
Catholics have a great edge in prayer. They’re asking the saints to pray for them. I could use that. I just struggle to think that if Peter can hear me talk to him, he can also see me in the bathroom, and that creeps me out. But if you are one of the handful of people reading this, I could use a prayer. It’s like the darkness is a thick cloud, destroying my world and hiding my God.
…we wrestle against darkness in high places…
I decided I have to take a different approach. Hope deferred makes the heart sick, so how can I effectively pray without setting myself up for more pain?
Paul’s two answers.
I thought of Philippians’ call to prayer. Regardless my situation, I still believe prayer is a supernatural force unleashed on the world, but I need a guarantee. I need something sure. That’s not a bad thing to need.
The Lord is at hand.
He’s near. He’s coming. He’s close. He’s not far off. Even when you can’t see it, you have to know it. You have to. Even when the heathen rage. Even when I think of this post when another wave of depression hits. Even when you lose and lose and lose and lose. He is at hand. His kingdom is about to break through into this world.
Do not be anxious.
I don’t think it’s possible to accomplish this until you first force yourself to obey the prior “rejoice in the Lord”. We have got to pour the Psalms and songs of our King into our minds, even if we are like rabies-filled dogs resisting and biting at the thought of help. Remember, if you can figure out how to hand this to Jesus, the result is on Him.
1. Everything by prayer with thanksgiving…
We need the “oil change” prayers. Not fake praises and not begging requests. The ones that we need to work through each day because they clean out the cogs, fix the mind, restore the vision, please the Lord and set us on good footing.
I thank you God that you always hear me. — Jesus
Our Father, who art in Heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the Evil One. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen
2. Everything by supplication with thanksgiving…
We need the “hand off” prayers. These prayers are the definite items that, post-oil change, still sit on our minds as catalysts for the anxiety we are trying to walk away from…and we need to give them to Him. Ask. Ask. Ask.
I thank you God that you always hear me. —Jesus
Father, until this issue is resolved, I don’t feel like I can be the man you’ve asked me to be. I want to expand your kingdom, obey you, follow you, reconcile and restore, labor with love, work with faith, give with charity. I believe from the scriptures that what I’m asking is in your revealed will. I need your Spirit’s power to destroy the works of darkness.
And finally, the climax.
I want to say that Paul promises something, anything that will give us confidence about what we ask. John did, James did, heck, Jesus did! But here Paul doesn’t. Paul promises that at the end of praying the prayer Our Father wants to hear, and at the end of praying the supplication we need to hand off…
The peace of God, which I can’t describe or understand, will guard my heart and my mind like a garrison of troops.
And he goes on to say that after prayer gives me the peace of God, a life lived after Paul’s example will get me the God of peace.
Truthfully, this isn’t what I always want to hear. But let God be true. He is good and His ways are just. I wanted prayer to get my answer, but my answer was peace and comfort.
And all along, God was offering both of those in a supernatural hand off. Pray and ask about everything. I will give you the peace you think the request will give you. Then go live based on whatever is true and lovely. Don’t believe the darkness and the lie. I will give you me.
Here we go again. Another journey.
