“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” – Philippians 4:6
“Prayer is an act of bringing God into every situation and asking Him to change it from natural into supernatural so that He can get all the glory.” Writes our prayer strategist at CBN South Africa, Gertrude Moyo in her book, ‘The rewards of Diligence. She continues to discuss the dependence we should have on God when we lift our requests and burdens to Him. Just like Jesus did when He was here. Gertrude continues in the chapter, “When we examine the earthly life of Jesus we discover the priority Jesus gave to prayer. Prayer punctuated his life. He never needed a crisis to motivate him to pray. He modeled absolute submission to the Father, absolute availability, absolute dependance and absolute obedience, which are fruits of His humility. When we pray earnestly, God hears and answers.”
Have you ever considered that perhaps Jesus gave His disciples (and us) the Lord’s Prayer in Matthew 6, in order to teach us about the necessity of our absolute dependance on the Father? After all, Jesus fully relied on God in all things. And this is why He had such incredible influence, even still to this day (John 5:19). Jesus was perfectly reliant on God while He was here and because of this, He sets a perfect example for us. Jesus was fully man and fully God, but He knew better than to rely on His own understanding.
The Lord prayer earnestly
When we earnestly pray the first few lines of the Lord’s Prayer, “Our Father, who art in Heaven, Hallowed be your name.” We are declaring our submission to God, and our reliance on Him as our Father. Also that His name is to be ‘hallowed’, revered or honoured. In the next bit, we don’t ask for our own will to be done or our own idea or understanding of what is good, but we ask for His divine will to be done. What an amazing thing to ask for into any situation!
Have you found your prayer life can at times, be filled with anxiety and worry? Read Philippians 4:6, and see that we are encouraged to not be anxious about anything. But instead to lift up our prayers and requests with an attitude of thankfulness to God. We encourage you to believe that God hears you. He also has the power to move and change things in your life. If you are struggling with anxiety in your prayer life, earnestly pray this prayer of thanks below.
Dear Lord Jesus, thank you for the countless blessings you pour into my life. I acknowledge and thank you that you do hear the prayers in my heart and that you are faithful. Please bless me with the peace that passes all understanding. As I call on your name in all situations with thanksgiving and praise. Amen (Based on Philippians 4:6-7)
If you would like someone to pray with you or to pray for you. Please send us an email at prayer@cbnsa.org, call our prayer line at (021) 701 1776 or WhatsApp our prayer line at 071 763 3810.
