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"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God" (Phil. 4:6).

Some spiritual work needs to be done to get over the first phrase this text, "Don't be anxious about anything." It may take a lot of spiritual work.

It is helpful to note that Paul is locked in prison and the Philippians are facing stiff persecution. Neither author nor recipients are in pleasant circumstances. Yet Paul gives the instruction not to worry.

One person defined worry as "the futile, frustrating, debilitating attempt to bear the burdens of life and especially of the future, ourselves, alone." That gets to the heart of it, doesn't it?

The key behind Paul's command is the faith that God is in control. It is the reminder we need. Many of us are duped into believing that when things go bad, God has abandoned us. Paul doesn't believe that at all. He has no illusions that faith in Jesus will result in an easy life.

There is a larger perspective at work here. The universe is not here to make us happy. Rather, God is bringing all things towards an end in which His purposes are accomplished and in which He will be glorified.

This does not mean that when we have difficult things, we should ignore them or imagine that God doesn't care. Rather, Paul says, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. God does care. He holds us in His arms. He is not indifferent to our pain.

The point is that we don't walk into the future alone. We enter tomorrow in the shadow of God Himself, following the "Good Shepherd." This truth diminishes our worry and replaces it with thanksgiving.

This is not easy. And the point is not that we should get rid of our worry before we pray. Rather, we need to pray our worry. In prayer, we draw close to God, our redeemer and friend, our sovereign Lord. Prayer lists are a good thing, but they are not the main thing about prayer.

In God\u2019s presence our anxiety is replaced with an inner peace, and we are drawn out of the confines of our small worlds and into the workings of God's Kingdom. In prayer, we stop lamenting about the crumbling of our little kingdom and become eager to see God\u2019s great kingdom of shalom.

We cannot contrive the discipline of thanksgiving. Spending time with God gives him opportunity to adjust our lives. Our anxiety is replaced with thanksgiving for His goodness.