The Primacy of Prayer (5)

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God… Philippians 4.6

Everything?
Scripture simply does not back down from the Lord’s expectations concerning our prayers. Not only does Jesus insist that we pray always and not lose heart; and not only does Paul command us to pray without ceasing; but the Apostle also instructs us to make our prayers and requests known to God in everything.

Every situation. Every undertaking. Every state of mind or frame of emotion. Whether in public or in private, alone or in a crowd, doing something we may regard as of consequence, or something of no consequence at all. In everything.

This makes sense for several reasons. First, we don’t have to bear anything in our lives by ourselves. The Lord is with us always, even to the end of the age (Matt. 28.20), and He will never fail us nor forsake us when we seek His mercy and grace in our times of need (Heb. 13.5).

Further, the Lord Jesus upholds the universe and everything in it by His powerful Word (Heb. 1.3). He is thus actively involved in everything we might do, no matter how small or great. His power is at work within us to make us willing and able to do what meets with the Lord’s pleasure (Phil. 2.13). It makes sense to acknowledge His sovereign involvement, rest in it, and draw on His power for whatever we may be involved in at any moment.

Moreover, since everything we do has the potential to bring glory and honor to God (1 Cor. 10.31), we will want to make sure that we’re doing everything above all to please Him, and maintaining conversation with Him in the midst of everything can help to keep us on course for glorifying the Lord.

Finally, praying in everything is a good way to keep our minds focused on the Lord, and can help us fulfill another charge from the Apostle Paul, that of setting our minds on the things that are above, where Jesus is seated in heavenly places, and thinking always on Him (Col. 3.1-3).

As you number your day in prayer, and prepare for your journey with the Lord, consider ways you might fulfill this calling to commune with the Lord in prayer in and about everything during the day ahead.

Prayer and supplication
Paul suggests that “prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving” is the way to fulfill this charge. But these do not necessarily involve your talking all the time. Prayer, supplication, and thanksgiving are as much a frame of mind and an attitude of heart as they are spoken words. You can be grateful for someone or offer praise for something merely by thinking of them, as the Lord calls them to mind. We can continue in prayer with the Lord without speaking as long as we bear in mind in everything that He is with us and within us, upholding us, calling us to focus on Him, and ready to glorify Himself in whatever we do.

With, within, underneath, above, and throughout: Apart from the Lord we can do nothing. But with Him, nothing is impossible – especially not praying always and in everything.

What can we do to keep that in mind at all times, in everything we do? Surely, doing so will keep us from falling into anxiousness or doubt, and can keep us on the road to the righteousness, peace, and joy that express our citizenship in the Kingdom of God (Rom. 14.17, 18).

Pray as you move from one activity to the next. Listen for the Spirit’s leading – a friend brought to mind, a chore left undone, a reminder you need to write down, a prompting to praise or thanks. Offer a word of thanks, even if spoken only in your mind, for each completed task. Seek the Lord’s direction, and the help of His angels for difficult challenges ahead in your journey, and rejoice in Him, with thanks and praise, even when things don’t work out quite the way you’d hoped. Take up your duties to the words of a psalm or hymn or spiritual song, and like sailors of hold, hauling in the anchor to the rhythm of a delightful chanty, do your work as unto the Lord, singing and making melody in your heart.

It is possible to remain in a mindset and heartset of prayer in everything you have to do during the course of a day. But you will have to train your mind to work this way, so that you think about the Lord at all times, or are open to His prompting in midst of your responsibilities, and can respond with even the briefest, “Thank You, Lord” or “Yes, Lord” always and in everything.

The promise of peace
Is it possible to know when we’re actually beginning to realize this ideal? I believe it is. Paul promises that when in everything we pray with prayer and supplication with thanksgiving – when we pray always and without losing heart – we will know the peace of the Lord, a peace we can neither fully understand nor clearly explain, but a peace that guards our hearts and minds, keeping them focused on and resting in our Lord Jesus Christ.

As you begin to realize that, increasingly, you are not easily perturbed, and you don’t look forward to your duties and responsibilities with dread, that in the midst of your work you are imbued with a sense of joy and purpose from beyond this temporal plane, and that the thought, the Name, even the glorious Face of our Lord Jesus Christ (2 Cor. 4.6) seems ever more present with you in everything, then you can know that you have a Companion with you on your journey with Whom you are maintaining communion always and in everything.

Which is only to say, then you will know the peace that passes understanding that guards your heart and mind in Christ Jesus. Then not only will you not lose heart for prayer, but you will the more eagerly and gladly engage it, as often as you may.

For reflection
1.  Does this seem realistic to you, to pray always and in everything? Why or why not?

2.  What can keep you from learning to pray like this? How might a fellow believer be of assistance to you in this project?

3.  Do you think that working at Scripture memory throughout the day might help to remind you to pray always and in everything? How might that work?

Next steps – Transformation: Make a concerted effort today to pray always and in everything. How will you prepare for this? What will you do to make this more likely to happen? How can you maintain this attitude and mindset of prayer throughout the day?

T. M. Moore
Each of our “next steps” exercises is tied into goals and disciplines involved in working your Personal Mission Field. If you have not yet identified your Personal Mission Field, watch the brief video showing you how to get started right away (click here).

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Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.