[D]o not be anxious about anything, 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 understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. — Philippians 4:6-7

Reflection:

As if we were suddenly thrown into the sea, we have probably spent the better part of these past few weeks just trying to figure out which way is up to catch our breath. All this disorientation leaves us looking for direction and solutions, and that can keep going without end — even in the way we come before the Lord. Before we are even aware, we have allowed a desire for control to usurp our desire to worship God.

Right from the outset, therefore, we need to notice something in Paul’s instructions here. Yes, pray. Yes, make your requests known to God. Certainly, this is a season to pray continually without ceasing for any number of things. Moreover, it’s also true that you should “[cast] your anxieties upon Jesus, because he cares for you” (1 Peter 1:7). But the thing to notice is that we are to do so with thanksgiving already in our hearts. Thanksgiving is not merely our response to answered prayers and our subsequent relief. Thanksgiving, as Paul sees it, is an essential quality of anxiety-relieving, peace-finding prayer. 

Israel was familiar with this practice. The Psalms are filled with songs of thanksgiving, especially remembering God’s mighty works of deliverance in their history (Psalms 78, 107, and 118 are good examples of this); and they would sing these songs as part of their regular worship, even as they encountered famine, invasion, exile, and other trials. That means even in spite of their circumstances, they were thanking God.

Thanksgiving, though, isn’t some arbitrary condition you need to meet in order for God to listen to your prayer. Instead, thanksgiving is the reason you will go to God with your requests in the first place. Our memory of God’s goodness is our teacher when life isn’t good. In other words, thanksgiving isn’t just at the prayer meeting. Thanksgiving is the one that calls the prayer meeting. 

I want to be careful not to minimize the importance and urgency of our current needs. I also don’t want to say that you should ignore your anxiety and pretend everything is rosy. What I mean is that before this is resolved, before you’ve even figured out all your first steps, let thanksgiving speak before your anxious heart does. Be thankful for every modern convenience that alleviates the difficulty of this time. Be thankful that this crisis came to us in an age when we could remain connected, even if through computers, phones, and tablets. Be thankful that you have a church body that is praying for you, deacons ready to help, and elders who are shepherding you. Be thankful for your families and friends. Pause and give thanks for the medical professionals and public health officials who are tackling COVID-19 with all they have. Above all, though, before you think of COVID-19 or trips to the grocery store or what you’re going to teach your kids, remember the wonderful and mighty works of the Lord who saved you in Christ Jesus. Remember that if you have hidden your life with him, neither life nor death, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor heights nor depth, nor anything else in all creation (even a virus) can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. 

And then pray continually without ceasing. 

Response:

1. Pause and reflect on the things for which you are thankful. Write them down and place them next to wherever you look to for news updates. 
2. Looking at your list of thanksgiving, what does each of those things show you about the character of God? They should, but are they helping you trust God more?
3. Make a list of prayer requests or use one you already have. Before lifting up those requests, what has God done in the past to demonstrate to you he is the one to answer those requests?