Philippians 4:4-9

There are many examples in the Bible of people calling on God for deliverance, for help. Deliverance can look different in different times, places, and people. Have you ever wanted to ask God to deliver you from, or help you with, something, but were afraid to ask because you thought it was insignificant? To God, nothing is insignificant. All He asks is that we come to Him with a right heart. 

Philippians 4:4-9 has been one of my go-to passages. We start with rejoicing in the Lord and then a reminder from Paul, “Be anxious for nothing, 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 comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (vs. 6-7). Paul says “in everything” not “in somethings” or “sometimes” or on certain days; in EVERYTHING. We come to God every day with everything and with an attitude of humbleness and thanksgiving. What do we receive in return? Peace. A peace that goes beyond anything we can understand. 

When we have such peace in God, our next response should be to praise and worship Him. It’s cyclical: we praise God, we humbly ask Him, we hear God’s response, and we praise Him. It doesn’t matter if you think your request is small; it’s not small to the One who loves us and gave us the ultimate deliverance from sin through Jesus! 

• Have you received God’s ultimate deliverance from sin? What’s holding you back?
• What do you need to be delivered from today?
• What kind of attitude do you have when you ask God for things? What do you need to do to always start with praise?

Read Philippians 4:8 and write down what Paul tells us to dwell on. Write down something in your life that reminds you of each one. Are you doing those things? Or are you doing the opposite? Spend time in prayer to realign with God’s attributes. 

Dear Father, thank You for everything You’ve done in my life, for deliverance and for peace. Please help me dwell on what is true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, of good repute, excellent, and worthy of praise. Amen.