Thanksgiving in Every Season
Philippians 4:6 “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.”
How can you be thankful when things don’t go your way?
To be a good citizen in Philippi it meant:
- Honoring the Roman emperor as divinity
- Participating in festivals that involved pagan worship
- Embracing Roman cultural identity
Acts 16:12 “From there we traveled to Philippi, a Roman colony and the leading city of that district of Macedonia. And we stayed there several days.”
Philipp was the region’s capital
Acts 16:19-24 “When her owners realized that their hope of making money was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace to face the authorities. 20 They brought them before the magistrates and said, “These men are Jews, and are throwing our city into an uproar 21 by advocating customs unlawful for us Romans to accept or practice.”
“The crowd joined in the attack against Paul and Silas, and the magistrates ordered them to be stripped and beaten with rods. 23 After they had been severely flogged, they were thrown into prison, and the jailer was commanded to guard them carefully. 24 When he received these orders, he put them in the inner cell and fastened their feet in the stocks.”
Acts 16: 25 “About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them”
1 Corinthians 8:1-5 “And now, brothers and sisters, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. In the midst of a very severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the Lord’s people. And they exceeded our expectations: They gave themselves first of all to the Lord, and then by the will of God also to us.”
Philippians 4:6 “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.”
This verse contains three commands and one promise:
Command 1 – Do Not Be Anxious About Anything
Here is a foundation for your Christian faith:
- Paul is redirecting them from self-reliance to God-reliance.
- He is telling them to look upon Jesus instead of their circumstances
- Encourages them to put their hope in God instead of the world’s culture
Command 2 – Let your requests be known to God
Command 3 – With thanksgiving
This is the key:
- Thanksgiving shifts our focus from the problem to the provider
- Thanksgiving strengthens our faith
- Thanksgiving protects our hearts
1 Thessalonians 5:18 “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”
Psalm 100:4 “Enter His gates with thanksgiving…”
The promise:
Philippians 4:7 “And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
A thankful heart:
- Get’s our eyes off our problems
- Puts them onto God and his goodness
