November 21, 2012

Philippians 4:6
New International Version (NIV)
6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

This scripture is a very well known scripture, one that we often quote even if only in part. We often say ‘be anxious f or nothing’. But the key to not be anxious is in the remainder of the verse. That part alone will not be enough for we cannot force ourselves to not be anxious just by determining we won’t.

It is Thanksgiving season in America. We know that the Pilgrims gave thanks to God after surviving a long hard year here in this new land. With the help of the Native Americans, they were able to learn to grow crops and reap a bountiful harvest.

In the bible there were always huge feasts in times of celebration so it was with the Pilgrims. To celebrate their thankfulness they had what we call the very first Thanksgiving. We continue this special holiday today. It is a time to gather with our families and celebrate our thankfulness.

This is a great thing to do – celebrate our thankfulness. But let me encourage you to develop a lifestyle of thankfulness. In the scripture above one of the remedies for anxiety is thanksgiving. Not just feeling thankful, but actually giving thanks to God. It is an action word, not just something you feel or think.

Usually our anxieties come from the stresses of life. Maybe there isn’t enough hours in the day to get everything done that you feel you need to do. Maybe your finances don’t appear to be able to cover your needs. Maybe you’re suffering from an illness and can’t seem to break free of it. All of these things and so many more can cause severe anxiety. And all of these situations can cause us to grow negative and to complain.

If we are not watchful we will find ourselves going through our days with a mindset of discontent and growing anxieties.

But in this scripture we have the key to stop this cycle and to break free from its bondage. When we have a need, no matter how small, we are to stop and pray about it. Give it to the Lord and request His help. He has the answer and is willing to supply it.

When we pray we are not to pray with a grumbly angry attitude, but with one of thanksgiving. It would a be good practice to stop and meditate before we pray on all the wonderful things that are so good in our lives. Then when we begin to pray our minds will be one of thankfulness and we can then give thanks to God for what he has already done in our lives, and that will then in turn cause us to be thankful that the situation we are asking help with at that moment will also be answered.

Meditating on the wonderful things God has done for us can only help to build our faith and give us real hope and encouragement.

So today, and every day, stop and realize what you have to be thankful for and then verbally give thanks back to God. It is an action that will create a reaction in your heart and the anxieties will flee.

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