-Despite the fact the the Lord is near, there are ample opportunities to take my eyes off of Jesus. Life is going to happen. Brokenness is bound to encroach on my world, and when it rears its ugly head, the natural response (i.e. apart from Jesus) is not joy but rather one of fear and concern and anxiety. I am prone to let things take my eyes and my focus and my trust off of Jesus. Truth be told, there are so many things about which I can potentially worry or be overly concerned (Luke 10.41) - worries about my life (Matthew 6.25), worries about clothing (Matthew 6.28), worries about food (Matthew 6.31), worries about tomorrow (Matthew 6.34). The worries and cares of this world can be like an alien sucking on my face - sometimes it’s hard to see anything else, and they want to seize control. They grab me by the throat and choke out the joy that should be mine in Christ, and so Paul lays out the standard - don’t allow any of these concerns take control of my mind or my heart or otherwise consume my focus. Be worrying and concerned about nothing.
-Interestingly, in Philippians 2.20 Paul holds up Timothy as a good example because he IS concerned about something. Paul uses the exact same word, so clearly there can be an exception. Mary also found an exception (in Luke 10.42). We CAN and should be concerned about the things that concern the Lord - and we specifically can be concerned about others.
-But where I run into problems is when I begin to care excessively about things which concern me and are beyond my control. And that’s really what it boils down to, it’s an issue of control. I want to be in control of my life, in control of the things that happen to me and to the people I care about. I want to choose the what and the when and the where and the why. I like to have my ducks in a row. I want to be the master of my fate, the captain of my soul. I so want my life to be in health and not in sickness, richer and better as opposed to poorer and worse. And in trying to achieve that, even the incessant small, seemingly mundane day-to-day things have the potential to overwhelm my focus whenever I am tempted to try and control those. But control is an illusion. Part of me wants to be in control, I try to be in control, I think I am in control, but it is a fool’s paradise. Yes, I make choices and decisions every day which have bearing on my life and on the world, but life on this orb is always and ultimately orbiting out of my control. It is under the purview of the One Who made it and Who sustains it and holds it all together (Colossians 1.16-17, Hebrews 1.3). He is in control - AND He is good. This is a fundamental lesson of life. There is One Who made me, Who designed me and every other person on this terrestrial ball for a grand purpose, and Who - because He is in total control and is thoroughly good to a breathtaking degree - is ultimately weaving the myriad threads of the circumstances and details of my life (as well as those of everyone who is in Christ) into a tapestry of unquestionable and unspeakable wonder (Romans 8.28, Psalms 139.14-18). And you don’t want one without the other - a God in control but devoid of goodness would be a cruel despot. But a good God without control would be a toothless grandpa. Neither extreme would inspire worship. Thankfully, God’s Word assures us that He is fully both. (so, be still, and know that, He. Is. God. cf Psalms 46.10)
-With this in mind, Paul commands us instead to pray about everything, to bring every circumstance and need to God, to be making our requests known to Him in prayer. There is not one thing in everything that is exempted. And Paul employs two different words for prayer which reflect the twin realities which we have just described. proseuché literally means “prayer towards”, and has in view this One to Whom we are praying, infinitely and inexhaustibly good and in-control. deésis meanwhile is the word for petition or supplication. It is specifically asking for provision, and we know that this ineffably good and sovereign God to Whom we pray is also our Provider. He is Jehovah Jireh. Paul in just a few verses will give us that great promise that our God will indeed fully supply everything we need (Philippians 4.19). We can trust Him - fully lean on Him and depend on Him to be working all things together for good in each and every circumstance. He has our back. He’s got this. There is never a time when He is surprised or caught off guard or finds Himself in a situation which He can’t handle or which will ultimately turn out other than how He planned. Ours then is a marvelous and mysterious dance of keeping in step with what God wants and with what He is doing, to completely depend upon Him and keep trusting in Him in everything.
-This is where thanksgiving comes into play. Thanksgiving in everything (1Thessalonians 5.17-18, Ephesians 3.20). Thanking God in every circumstance demonstrates this trust, particularly when my circumstances do not appear for the time being to be working out for good. But gratitude - like joy - is not a feeling which depends upon my circumstances. Life doesn’t always feel good. Brokenness does not feel good. And it is natural anytime we experience brokenness to wonder if God is really be good and in control. People call into question even His very existence over this problem of evil. Evil and brokenness exist, therefore God must either not care or must not be in control, since He is allowing this to happen, or He just doesn’t exist to begin with and fate is a cruel master. This brand of atheistic fatalism tends to foster either hopelessness or hedonism. And this is precisely where the living and abiding hope of the believer, the enduring joy and the constant peace, has the opportunity to illuminate this world devoid of hope, the godless darkness all around us. And it is generated and maintained through this lifestyle of gratitude and the habit of intentionally bringing every request we have to our good and sovereign heavenly Father.
-One might ask why Paul is telling us to make our requests known to the One Who already knows everything. He designed us, He knows our hearts (1Kings 8.39, Psalm 44.21, Luke 16.15, Acts 1.24, cf Genesis 20.6), He knows our every thought (1Chronicles 28.9, Psalm 139.2, Revelation 2.23) and every word before it is even on our lips (Psalm 139.4). What we find throughout Scripture is the principle that God is in the business of testing the hearts of His people (Exodus 20.20, Deuteronomy 8.2, 1Chronicles 29.17, 2Chronicles 32.31, Psalm 7.9, Psalm 26.2, Psalm 139.1, Psalm 139.23, Proverbs 17.3, Jeremiah 11.20, Romans 8.27, 1Thessalonians 2.4). He tests hearts in order to reveal what is in them. He faithfully provides opportunities for the life of Christ which He is metamorphosing in me to be displayed and strengthened. And it is precisely in these times of testing that we see whether or not someone truly trusts Him. When brokenness rears its ugly head or when things are spinning out of control or when life is NOT coming up daisies, a heart that truly trusts in Him and knows He is good and in control will be able to rejoice and will turn to Him in prayer with thanksgiving. This is the kind of heart that the Lord is producing in the life of a believer. To obey what Paul is telling us here is actually to cooperate with the Lord in the good work He has begun in reproducing the life of Christ in me (Philippians 1.6, Philippians 2.13). Turning to Him with all my requests, with a thankful heart and the knowledge that He is good and is in control is how I live into that.
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