Penultimately, It Is A Matter Of Prayer

Penultimately, it is a matter of prayer.

“Fear is legitimate for the vulnerable, and pain is a natural consequence of being mortal. But worry is a choice made in distrust.” Matt Chandler & Jared C. Wilson. “To Live Is Christ and To Die is Gain.“

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. 5 Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; 6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. 8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. 9 What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you. Phil. 4:4-9

An anxious Christian is bad advertisement for the God of peace.

The question I last posed was this: if I know that the ultimate belongs to the Father, how do I, in thought and action, keep my place, put down my God badge, and care for the penultimate only?

The answer is found in the introductory verses. As with most every question, the answer is found within the written revelation of the Word. While the Father often speaks to my heart, nothing I hear is contradictory to what was earlier revealed in the Bible. Each of the following points could be developed at length. However, in summary Paul's admonishment to the Philippians states and concludes:

Because God is near to us, it is reasonable to rejoice always (4-5);

Worry and anxiety are combatted by the discipline of supplication prayers ("God, help me” prayers) (6);

Supplication prayers born from an awareness of God's nearness result in a peace that keeps our emotions and our intellect (7);

A peaceful keeping of our hearts and minds is evidenced by a shift from self-centered to God-centered thinking (8); and

When we have taken the information and moved through imitation to innovation, we abide in Him, the God of peace.

Prayer, specific “help me” prayers, made by a heart thankful for a Father who hears and is not silent, combat the practiced unbelief of a worried mind. It is here, in consistent prayer, that I am able to care for only penultimate matters as I realize in belief that ultimate actions belong to the Lord. When I am able to say “help me” there is a finality to my discovery that I cannot be responsible for the real outcome. If I am unable to perfectly exercise my responsibilities, obedience or preparations without assistance, how would I rationalize that I could somehow be the man in charge of the determination?

“When we live with a lack of anxiety about the future, even in those tightrope kind of times, we communicate the truth that our God is indeed worthy of our trust. We don’t fret over the future because He holds it in His hands. We don’t wring our hands in worry because we know He’s charting the course. That sort of confidence invites others into it, those longing for something different from life without a net.“ Michael Kelley, Wednesdays Were Pretty Normal.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad