Daily Devotional Dives - Don't Be Anxious

Do you use a prayer list?  In some of my younger years, I used to think it wasn't "right" to have one, that it was a bit like having a shopping list which didn't seem very "holy" or some such thing.  But when one reads this verse from 

Philippians 4:6  which entreats...

"Do not be anxious about anything but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, presenting your requests to God."...

It seemed perfectly ok and then there was freedom to breath and write out as long a list as one needed.

Just look at what the New Collins International Dictionary of English Language says about the word "petition".

Petition: 

1. "a written document signed by a large number of people demanding some form of action from a government or other authority."

2.  "Any formal request to a higher authority; entreaty"

3.  "to address or present a petition to a person in authority, government, etc.

4.  "to seek by petition for a change in the law."

Petitions usually have several points of interests enumerated, thus the idea of "a list".  Petitions are usually a rather public thing since so many (hopefully) are signing.  This would be like going to a prayer meeting with others and making our requests know to God collectively.

However, I believe that a drawn up list can equally be used in the prayer closet.  So do lay out those petitions to our Heavenly Father, God as He is the ultimate authority in our life. Lay them out and 'de-stress'.  Jesus did say 

"Come unto me all you who labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest." (Matthew 11:28-30)

Give your cares and anxieties to Him.  He cares about you and your situation in life.

Recall King Hezekiah, who spread out a very troubling letter before the Lord. He had felt so helpless and perhaps, fearful, but he was wise enough to know to Whom to go for help. (2 Kings 19:14).  God answered him in his distress and He will also answer you in yours.


Prayer lists or decision-making lists of pros and cons would be acceptable and help us to focus on what we really want from the Lord in specifics, instead of beating around the bush in general terms.

In this way we unburden ourselves and put everything into God's hands and then as 

Philippians 4:7 denotes...

"The peace of God...will guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus".

This "peace of God" is beyond anything we could understand  (see vs 7).

This comes full circle back to vs 6 of chapter 4 again...we, in turn, don't have to be anxious about anything.  Neat, eh!?

  All this causes us to praise and give thanksgiving to God especially when we can jot down beside each 'item' on our lists the way in which God answered.  Then we can often go back and review from times past and again give thanks and praise with gratitude in our hearts over how He helped us.  There will be times when we may feel He isn't helping; that He is far away and doesn't care but these notations will show us that He does and is very much involved in our lives. This is turn will encourage us to pray and petition more and more and to have confidence in God, to experience His love and His giving-ness.

                                                       ~ERC   2017~
                                  Originally written March 1995; adapted for blog July 2017