https://odb.org/MY/2022/08/26/just-ask
Paul’s advice in Philippians 4:6 is really good advice. Do not be anxious about anything but in all situations by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. Whatever we are going through, present it to God in prayer and supplication but with thanksgiving. What Paul basically means is that we pray and communicate with God no matter what is the situation we are going through? We talk to God, we pray. Don’t let our situation overcome us, beat us down no matter how depressing it looks like. But also with thanksgiving. We are thankful for who He has been for us all this while. For how far He has brought us in our faith and ministry. From a little baby in the faith to a grown and matured man in the Lord. We are now strong although we were weak. We are now an encouragement and an encourager when we needed to be encouraged in the past. We are now a pillar of faith, steadfast and faithful when we were wavering and unsteady in the past.
Paul’s advice is excellent because when we go through crises and storms in life, as human beings, we have a tendency to focus on the present, forgetting the past and in a way, being ungrateful for what God had done before and all this while. While this is common at work and in the world where the focus is always on the present numbers and not our past contributions, as followers of Christ, we must never be like the world only looking at the present and forgetting the past. That is why Paul says in all situations pray and petition God but with thanksgiving. Be thankful to God for all that He had done and been to us while presenting our present situation to Him. Acknowledge His grace and mercy all this while. We wouldn’t be where we are today without Him by our side, in our life, without Him being in the boat with us.
God is not obliged to continually be good to us all the time but He actually is and will. We must therefore be thankful and grateful to Him for all that He has and had done in the past, for us and our family and loved ones, blessing our work and ministry. We don’t know what will lie ahead; in the next week, the next month and the years to come but we are confident that we will ultimately be with God in the end as Jesus had already died for our sins and is resurrected. The death and resurrection of Christ is our hope of glory!
Ronnie's Thoughts 