Pray About Everything

Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians  4:4

“In everything by prayer and supplication give thanks, because it will help you not be as anxious,” might be a good way of rephrasing Paul’s instruction to his friends in Phillipi. If I were to ask many of you when you prayed, it would probably be limited to meal times and/or bedtime. I pray then. At bedtime I think of 10 people and pray for them. At mealtimes, if it is just me or I am eating out somewhere, I pray, “God bless it and put it to work.” I don’t like long dinnertime prayers.

If you stop and think about it, eating certainly is a time when we should always give thanks. Each meal is a miracle. The food got grown via an infinite number of biological processes beyond most of our comprehension. The food got picked or slaughtered (if you are into the whole meat eating thing), preserved without getting damaged or spoiled, lovingly prepared in a way you like, and served to you in a safe, cool, comfy spot. So many good things happened so you could have the chance to eat your cheeseburger, so the least you can do is say, “Thank you!” to God.

Paul says to pray in everything, though. We should tell God what we want (supplication). We are to share openly and honestly with God our goofiest and deepest desires. Praying in everything connects with the reality that we can communicate with God in ways that reach far beyond what pops in our conscious minds. “Everything” prayer moves beyond our limited view of life and our narrow view of reality.

Anxiety is a complicated thing, I know. I will not say that prayer cures anxiety or even treats it.There is nothing too small, too petty, too goofy or juvenile for God’s healing grace found in prayer. Even so, if you are anxious, make sure that a part of your self-care is also sharing your anxiety with another person around the same time you pray about it. At the very least, my experience has been that prayer leads me to finding a new path or new way of living with, (and sometimes leaving behind)

Whatever you do, dear ones, pray in all things because, after all, God is with us in all things.