Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the centre of your life.(Philippians 4:6-7 Message).
We are encouraged to pray about everything, but did Paul mean everything, such as a parking spot, lost keys, or an overdue bill? In the Message Bible translation, Paul suggests that when we pray about everything, “Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down.” Regardless of how big or small our worries seem, worrying distracts us from God’s will, “to love Him with our whole being and to love our neighbours” (my paraphrase of Matthew 22:37-40). Our distractions and concerns, big or small, tend to unsettle us and transform us into anxious, worrisome people, interfering with our desire to enjoy life fully. Jesus says, let me handle your worry as I will give you my peace so that you can, at a minimum, address the issue instead of avoiding it by worrying.
Do you receive prayer requests from others? Do they tend to follow the same format – my neighbour fell and broke his hip – one of my client’s granddaughters has leukaemia – and I need a job? Do we pray for sick or struggling people? We know little about them other than they don’t go to church. I know some who don’t like to pray about those they don’t know because they say, “What difference will it make if they don’t know God?” Why not pray for anyone? We may not know the beneficiary of our prayers, but God does and invites us to be part of that person’s story. Paul writes, “I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people— for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good and pleases God our Saviour, who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.” (1 Timothy 2:1-4 NIV).
Prayer can sometimes seem complicated because we tend to question why we should pray about a particular situation or person (yes, people do ask why). We pray about everything and everyone because we are guided by scripture. We pray not to earn praise from God or others but to align us with the will of God. We are invited to be a non-anxious presence in people’s lives, whether we know them or not. We are not only ambassadors of the Light while we are out in the world but also recipients of the Light’s power while in the comfort of our prayer closets.
Many people in our lives need prayer. At times, their needs are clear. Other times, we may not know what to pray for. Either way, when we pray for others, we join God in His work in their lives.