Encouragement

---

HOW MUCH IS EVERYTHING?
By Robert Schaetzle 1,298 words

‘Have no anxiety in anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God’. [Philippians 4:6 RSV]

Just how much is everything? Our Father does not want us to limit ourselves, especially being filled with anxiety over matters of concern. What our Lord gives, He gives us in love, to keep us free from being burdened with ‘the un-necessities of life.

Prayer is such a vital prescription to strengthening our faith walk in Jesus. It’s not just a prerequisite, toward maturity in our faith, but I feel it’s what our Lord has in His design for us. His expectation for us is learning dependency and obedience; to recognize it’s more than traumas our Lord wants us to bring to Him. He desires that we bring every detail of our life to Him, especially learning every day to find things to praise Him.

Looking for Things to Praise Him

‘As for me I will call upon God, and the Lord shall save me. Evening and morning and at noon I will pray, and cry aloud, And he shall hear my voice. He has redeemed my soul in peace from the battle that was against me.’ Psalm 55:16-18

Consider the need of praise and thanksgiving we owe for all He’s given to us, how many ways there are just to say “Thank You” for even the very breath of life we breathe every day.
Dwelling upon the Psalms, can add so much appreciation and reason to keep looking upward rather than on the circumstance or the burden of the hour.

From Psalm 27:4-5 David wrote, “One thing I have asked from the Lord, that shall I seek: That I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord and to meditate in His temple. For in the day of trouble He will conceal me in His tabernacle; in the secret place of His tent, He will hide me.”

Something for us to always be mindful of is that we who are in Christ Jesus, are the ‘Temple of God. I Corinthians 3:16 states, ‘Do you not know that you are God’s Temple, and that God’s Spirit dwells within you?’ His Spirit wants to lead us. Exodus 16:4 says, ‘Then the Lord said to Moses, “I will rain down bread from heaven for you. The people are to go out each day and gather enough for that day. In this way I will test them and see whether they will follow my instructions.”’

Being Tested by God

When in the desert the people of Israel could not provide for themselves. They couldn’t plant or harvest. They couldn’t manufacture. It was a time and place where complete dependence on God was to be the rule.
The manna, or food for the day, would spoil at the end of each day, they couldn’t store it. There was no refrigeration for them to depend on.
It was indeed a season to build reliance and trust upon God alone. They had relied on their own resources, what they grew and harvested in Egypt for so long; God needed to change their whole nature, rather than looking to Egypt as their provider.

We’re no different than the people of Israel. We struggle so when we lean upon our own reasoning and resources.
The first portion of Philippians 4:6. Have no anxiety about anything!
Thoughts on this one might say, ‘that ‘anxiousness is a manifestation of self centeredness, counterproductive worry. Anxiousness is not a legitimate care and concern for our being a ‘light and encouragement to others’,

Peter shares this sentiment as well when he said “Cast all your anxieties on Him for He cares about you”. [1 Peter 5:7] Anxiety and prayer are two opposing forces in our Christian walk. The antidote for anxiety and fear are ‘Praise and Thanksgiving’. I feel in this way we’ll have greater victory over the power of darkness and temptations from our adversary the devil.

The more we put our dependency on God, the less opportunity the devil has to interrupt our confidence and trust upon Him, especially with an attitude of praise and thanksgiving. God will open our heart more and more, to reveal His intent and solution to every ‘concern on our heart.
Faith in Action

‘And He said to them, “Which of you who has a friend will go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves; for a friend of mine has arrived on a long journey, and I have nothing to set before him; and he will answer from within, ‘Do not bother me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed.
I cannot get up and give you anything? I tell you, though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet, because of his importunity he will rise up and give him whatever he asks.’ Luke 11:5-8.

There are two individuals who are obviously close friends. Enough so that going to him at the unreasonable hour of midnight, the petitioner felt no fear or shame.
Examining, #1 We should never feel that it’s and intrusion on His privacy, what ever time of day or night, where ever the place.
#2 What might appear as an invasion of privacy on the part of the one being petitioned, but is it? More than once in my years I received a phone call in the wee hours of 3 or 4 in the morning. Did I respond to the need? Yes. You see as with our Lord’s working hours it’s not limited to a 9-5 work day. It’s our own responsibility to listen when He’s got something to say to us. The hour of the day was not a factor to come to the aid for that need.
The parable goes on to say, ‘yet because of his importunity, he will rise up and give him whatever he asks’. Did you hear that? “Whatever he asks!” We can be certain that our God is not stingy with His giving.

John 15:7 declares; “If you abide in me and My words abides in you, ask whatever you will and it shall be done for you. [Notice ‘words’ is plural]
Verse 8 provides the purpose clause; ‘that you bear much fruit’.
Occurrences over time the answer might come back “No!, or wait!” The time has not yet come. We must recognize, our supplications must be within His will, purpose, along with His schedule for answering.

When we ask our question, “How much is Everything?” We’re not to trust in ourselves or allow our feelings to control circumstances. The devil would have us to think “Don’t bother God with such a matter as this or that”.
I’m reminded of something I read the other day, ‘Do you see a man wise in his own eyes, there is more hope for a fool than for him’ Proverbs 26:12.
Learning to lean on ourselves less, we’ll recognize Him more as our ‘our all in all.’

---

PLEASE ENCOURAGE AUTHOR BELOW LEAVE COMMENT ON ARTICLE AS A MEMBER OR VISITOR