Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. (Philippians 4:6)
That’s a big command from the Lord! To never be anxious and at the same time to be thankful always. The Bible verse from Philippians places anxiousness and thanksgiving against each other. Anxiousness takes away thanksgiving. Praying with thanks leads anxiousness to disappear.
Where are you right now on the spectrum of anxiousness and thankfulness?
It’s not within us alone to follow God’s teaching here. If we go back a couple verses we read: Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! (Philippians 4:4). IN THE LORD. In God the Father’s daily care. In Jesus’ eternal grace to . . . . us in forgiveness and salvation. In the Holy Spirit’s life-giving words in the Scriptures. IN THE LORD, gratitude flows out of us even before we realize it.
Even in the middle of a civil war in 1863 that violently divided the country, President Lincoln found many reasons to be grateful in his Thanksgiving Proclamation: “The year that is drawing toward its close has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added, which are of so extraordinary a nature that they cannot fail to penetrate and even soften the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever-watchful providence of Almighty God. … They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy.”
In Philippians 4:6, the thanksgiving is our prayers, our requests and petitions. It’s not a bad idea – as I’ve been encouraged to do by a good number of Christians over the years – to start every prayer with a few things we’re grateful for. Even before asking for anything, let’s say “Thank you, God,” for never stopping to bless us in his gracious love!