What Could Be Missing in Your Prayers?

Philippians 4:6-7 (NKJV)

⁶ Be anxious for nothing, 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 minds through Christ Jesus.

Do you pray making requests to God with thanksgiving?  I know you thank God for your many blessings including the blood of Jesus and salvation.  I am sure you thank Him for listening to your prayers.  But do you make requests to God with thanksgiving?  As you pray and plea for needs are words of thanks included at that time?  I don’t mean after you pray for those needs, I mean during the prayer requests. 

Read Philippians 4:6

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God

God tells us to include thanksgiving in prayer and supplication (earnest prayer or plea).  This verse says that prayer should be “with” thanksgiving.  Prayer and thanksgiving are a team.  They are team players. They need each other to win.  Prayer, supplication and requests alone are like playing a game with a missing important team player.  Who can play a successful game without a goalie, a quarterback or a catcher?  Are you praying with a missing key player?  Are you using only one player to try to win?

Prayer is no game.  Prayer is not a sport, of course.  But God told us to pray with something – pray with thanksgiving.  Thanksgiving, therefore, is an important component of prayer.  I am sure you understand that.  However do you include thanks while you make your requests known to God?  I can’t say that I do it that way.  I thank God for many things but I don’t hear my requests accompanied by thanksgiving. 
Let’s look at Philippians 4:6 again.
Be anxious for nothing.
In the Amplified Version:
Do not fret or have any anxiety about anything.

That sounds wonderful.  I would love to not worry.  It sounds like a dream come true.  If God tells us to do this, then we are capable of doing it.  Next in the verse He gives us a formula to help carry it out “Be anxious for nothing.”  The formula is - in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. 
I will not worry.  I will pray and earnestly plea to God my requests with thanksgiving.  Let’s try it.  Let’s write a prayer.  I will go first to get us started. 


Dear Father God,
Thank you for a new day with you.  Thank you for Jesus and the Holy Spirit.  Forgive me of my sins as I forgive those who sin against me.  Dear God I have needs.  I need you.  I need guidance in your plan for my life.  - - STOP - - ADD THANKSGIVING -- Add any thanksgiving you want, just include it here after the request - - my thanksgiving:  Thank you Father that you have a plan for my life.  Thank you that I believe it to be true.  Thank you that you know the plans you have for me, plans to prosper me and not to harm me (Jeremiah 29: 11). 

Guide me God, let me hear what steps to take.  - - STOP - - ADD THANKSGIVING - - my thanksgiving:  Thank you for the Holy Spirit that I know lives inside of me.  Thank you that the precious Holy Spirit does guide me.  Thank you that I have no doubt that He exists on the inside of me.  Thank you that I have experienced the Holy Spirit’s work in me first hand.  Thank you for giving us this Counselor as we live on earth. 

Father I need your peace now as I go through this trial in my life.  - - STOP - - ADD THANKSGIVING - - my thanksgiving:  Oh God thank you that peace is available to me – your peace.  Thank you that it is your pleasure to give it to me and your desire.  The peace of God is my delight and I have seen it.  Thank you Father that in past heartache and difficulties your peace fell on me and cared for me.  Thank you Lord that my faith is in you and your peace.

God I need provision.  I need money to cover my bills, my shelter and food.  I need a secure home on earth.  - - STOP - - ADD THANKSGIVING - - my thanksgiving:  Lord God I thank you from the bottom of my heart that I have never been without the things I have mentioned.  I have never been in lack of a home, food or money.  You have always provided for my needs even when fear had a grip on me you took care of everything.  Therefore I know you will not hold back now Father.  I know my God will provide, just as He always has to this day.  Thank you Heavenly Father for the perfect care you provide me. 

Oh Father help me with sin in my life.  Give me strength and discipline to overcome sin and temptation.     - - STOP - - ADD THANKSGIVING - - my thanksgiving:  God thank you for the blood of Jesus that does in fact cleanse me of sin.  Thank you for Jesus and his mighty work of the cross that forgives me of my sin.  Thank you Father that you have worked in me to overcome sin in my life.  Thank you that a lot of my past sin has been taken away through your work in me.  I must look at that and see you are still working in me.  You have not stopped. There have been areas of my life where I am set free from sin all because of you God and your love for me. 

Thank you God for your Word that does guide us, that gives us answers and a way to you.  Thank you Lord God for bringing to our attention the need to include thanksgiving in our prayers of requests – right in the middle of our pleas for help. 

We pray these things in the name of Jesus, our Savior,
Amen

God gives us wisdom through his Word.  Today He definitely shared wisdom with us.  I see even as I write this teaching and that sample prayer how very powerful thanksgiving is throughout my prayers.  My perspective changed with each request when I stopped and added a thanksgiving.  It actually made my pleas for help seem more manageable.  As I thanked God regarding my particular request – I could focus more clearly on God’s ability and desire to meet my needs because I looked at my past victories in God.  It truly gave me added faith in my God and his desire to help me. 

I want you to try it now.  Write a prayer of requests to God.  I am sure you have some needs, so pray for your needs.  However after you catch yourself requesting something to God, stop and include thanksgiving.  Thank God for something, anything.  Just thank Him.  Love Him.  Appreciate Him.  Then continue in earnest prayer to him bringing your needs to your Creator.  But at each and every request stop and add thanksgiving to Him. 

We are following the words of God in Philippians 4: 6-7.  You are obeying God in how to pray to Him.  You can find peace and fulfillment in that alone – you are following the Word of God in your prayer life.  It will make your prayer life fun.  Yes I said fun.  It is fun to pray for God’s help and to thank Him at the same time.  It is fun because you see God as the true helper when you give Him thanks. 

Write down your prayers to help you remember to stop after each request and enter thanksgiving.  It is a good way to put you in the habit.  Read your prayer to God after writing it. 

I have more good news!  God tells us in Philippians 4:7 what will happen when we pray as He asked. 

Philippians 4:7  The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.  

God’s peace will protect you – your heart and mind through Jesus.  Pray to God, make your requests known to Him while you also praise him with thanksgiving, and His peace will protect you.  Peace of God will surround you.  When you pray to God with thanksgiving throughout each request and need something wonderful happens – you begin to realize God is already answering and working on them.  It puts you in a state of expectation and gives you confidence in your Father God. 

Please try writing down your prayers and including thanksgiving as described earlier.  Then enjoy your faith, your love for God and your thanksgiving.