Transcription
Now, this morning, our subject is when prayer does not change things. And I invite your attention this morning to the sixth and seventh verses of chapter 4 of Philippians: "Be anxious for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with Thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."
We have this morning, I think, a worthy motive in bringing this message because of the great need of prayer. Probably we have an unworthy motive, and that is to try to intrigue and enlist your interest in wanting to come on Thursday night to study the little epistle to the Philippians, which, in my judgment, is not only the most practical epistle but one that's greatly needed in this day in which we live. Although Paul is not writing this epistle to correct any doctrine or conduct, yet he touches all the keynotes of the great doctrines and practical truth of the Christian life. But he does it in a different way than he does in the other epistles, as he does here.
Now, in prayer, the little epistle to the Philippians is divided. The four chapters in a very logical way. You have in chapter one, the philosophy of Christian living, for Christian living is actually the theme here. Chapter 2, you have the pattern of Christian living. Chapter 3, the prize for Christian living. And chapter 4, the power for Christian living. And he gives here a formula for power, a prescription for power, and one of the ingredients that enters into it is found in prayer. It is the secret of power in the Christian life.
Now, Paul begins by saying, "Be anxious for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with Thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God." I am reading this morning from the New Scofield Reference Bible, and they've changed that word, rightly so, from "careful" to "anxious." "Be anxious for nothing." Actually, what Paul is doing here is making a contrast between two indefinite pronouns. He's putting them in juxtaposition, and the two indefinite pronouns are "nothing" and "everything." And if I may change it up even a little bit more and put that emphasis, Paul says, "Worry about nothing; pray about everything." In other words, he says that it's wrong and sinful for a Christian to worry. And I'm of the opinion that most of us here this morning would have to confess that we've sinned in this area, that we do worry. But he does say we are to worry about nothing and pray about everything.
Now, these two little indefinite pronouns have tremendous significance. The first one, "nothing," is probably the most mutually exclusive word there is in the English language. You can draw a circle and stand in the middle of it, and you can say that I'm standing in a circle, and there's nothing in it. And believe me, my friend, there can't be anything there if there's nothing in the circle except you. May I say that it excludes everything? And he says we are to pray about everything. And just as the little indefinite pronoun "nothing" takes everything out of the circle, the little indefinite pronoun "everything" brings everything into the circle, and there's nothing out of the circle. So that you can see that these two little pronouns, they are antipodal; they are just the opposite. "Nothing" well, it means nothing, and "everything" means everything. And Paul says to worry about nothing.
And that means that a Christian is not to worry. And Paul is not advancing a very foolish philosophy that's popular today, that the reason that you are not to worry is because you shut your eyes to reality, and that disease and sickness and death and trouble and pain are not a reality. You're to play like they don't exist. Paul's not saying that. Never indulge in that kind of a foolish philosophy at all. He says that the reason we're to worry about nothing is because we are to pray about everything. Everything is to be removed from the realm of worry over to the area of prayer, and it is to be made a subject of prayer. And that means that everything in a Christian's life should be made a matter of prayer.
Years ago, a lady with in Philadelphia, she came down to Dr. G. Campbell Morgan. One of these ladies that had a lorgnette, you know. She came down with that, and you know what a lorgnette is? It's a snare on the end of a stick. And she came down and she said, "Dr. Morgan, do you think we ought to pray about the little things in our lives?" And Dr. Morgan, in his characteristic British manner, said, "Madam, can you mention anything in your life that's big to God?" May I say to you, when you begin to divide the things in your life that are big and little for prayer to God, may I say it's a false division? Because all areas of your life and my life just happen to be very small as far as God is concerned. And he says to us that we're to worry about nothing because we are to pray about everything.
If I may, may I be not really factious, but attempt to illustrate this? And this is a day, as you know, that since the Israeli War, that Jewish jokes have come back again. And this is one of them about the Jew that one night couldn't sleep. He rolled and tossed, and his wife finally said to him, says, "Abie, what is the matter that you can't sleep?" Well, he says, "I owe Ike $6,000. Tomorrow the note is coming due, and I can't pay him." She says, "You mean you owe him $6,000 and you can't pay him?" He said, "That's right." "Well," said, "you get up, dress, and you go over and tell Ike you can't pay him. You come back and go to sleep, and you let Ike stay awake." May I say to you, my friends, that is exactly what Paul, Paul the Apostle, is really saying here. Paul says, "You worry about nothing" is because you go and tell God everything, and tell him it's his problem, tell him that this is something for him to handle, and that you're his child, and you are to turn everything over to him. Worry about nothing; pray about everything. And the little things of our lives are to be made a matter of prayer.
I personally do not think there's anything in a Christian's life that should not be made a matter of prayer to God. To begin with, he knows us. And I know that from experience, and I'm sure you do. I've prayed to God, and I prayed around certain things. If he didn't know about it, may I say to you, you don't pray around with God. You tell him. You can talk to him very frankly. You can open and unburden your heart to him as you can unburden your heart to no one else.
It was Fenelon, years ago. I carry this in my Bible. I think it's one of the most wonderful statements: "Tell God, tell God all that's in your heart, as one unloads one's heart, its pleasures and its pains to a dear friend. Tell him your troubles that he may comfort you. Tell him your joys that he may sober them. Tell him your longings that he may purify them. Tell him your dislikes that he may help you to conquer them. Talk to him of your temptations that he may shield you from them. Show him the wounds of your heart that he may heal them. Lay bare your indifference to good, your depraved tastes for evil, your instability. Tell him how self-love makes you unjust to others, how vanity tempts you to be insincere, how pride disguises you to yourself as to others. If you thus pour out all your weaknesses, needs, troubles, there will be no lack of what to say. You will never exhaust the subject. It's continually being renewed. People who have no secrets from each other never want subjects of conversation. They do not weigh their words, for there's nothing to be held back. Neither do they seek for something to say. They talk out of the abundance of the heart without consideration, just what they think. Blessed are they who attain to such familiar, unreserved intercourse with God."
May I say, Paul says, "Worry about nothing; pray about everything." Everything, and everything in a Christian's life can be taken to God in prayer. Doesn't make any difference what it is. He's our Heavenly Father if we are a child by faith in Christ, and we can take that to him, and God will hear and will answer.
Paul says that Paul says, "by prayer and supplication with Thanksgiving." Now, several commentaries that I have examined take the position here that the statement that Paul makes needs to be changed somewhat. That he didn't really mean to say that when you go to God with a request, to thank him at the time, because you don't know whether you'd get the answer or not. What he's saying is that you are to go to God with your request, but don't forget when you do get the answer to thank him for it. You are to go with Thanksgiving and thank him for it afterward. The only difficulty with that interpretation is, that's not what Paul said. Paul didn't say that. Paul said that when you make your request, at that time, that you are to tell him then what you have in your mind and thank him for hearing and answering. And somebody says, "But he might not answer." Paul says he'll answer.
Well, somebody says, "What about those unanswered prayers I've got?" May I be bold enough to say to you today, you don't have any unanswered prayers. If you're God's child, you don't have an unanswered prayer. We hear today that what an insult it is to God for a Christian to go around and say, "Well, you know, I have unanswered prayers." You mean to tell me that your Heavenly Father doesn't listen to you? You mean to tell me that he doesn't answer prayer? Paul says that he does answer prayer, and that when you take your petitions to him, your requests, you are to thank him because he's going to hear and answer.
Somebody says, "Wait a minute, preacher, I have to have unanswered prayers." And again, I'll insist, you don't have unanswered prayers. If you're God's child, you don't have unanswered prayers. He always hears and answers. Now, I can illustrate that, I think, with a very homely illustration. My dad died when I was 14, and just at the time, I think, when a boy needs a dad. And he's always remained in my life a hero. Although I do know that he drank very heavily, I do know he never darkened the door of a church, but to me, he's always been a hero. One of the reasons is that my dad, he fished with me, he hunted with me, he was really a pal. And I never made a request of him but what he didn't answer me. He always answered. I never took anything to him that he didn't answer. But did you know that most of the answers he gave to me were "no"? He said "no." And when my dad said "no," it was more positive than when he said "yes." When he said "no," that ended it. That was the answer. May I say to you, I never had any unanswered requests. He heard them all, but most of the time he said "no." May I say to you, the difficulty with us is we don't like for God to say "no" to us. We want him to say "yes." And he's just not in the business of always saying "yes." He'll always hear and he'll always answer the request that is brought to him. He'll never ignore it.
The story is told that when the Panama Canal finally got underway in its construction, that it was the policy, as you well know, of Theodore Roosevelt to always go through with the project. And he kept all of the upper echelons on the job, but he compensated for it by instead of sending them home for vacation, he brought their families down. And one young engineer, his family came down, consisted of his wife and a little boy. They lived out on a houseboat because of the danger of malaria at that time. And every afternoon, you could see this young engineer get into the little rowboat and row out to the houseboat. And he'd always have a great sheath of blueprints of the Panama Canal to work on. He worked on them there at home that he could be with his family.
And one evening, he had all these blueprints of the Panama Canal spread out. His little boy was playing at his feet with a little wagon, and a wheel came off of the wagon. And the little fella, he sat there and he worked with it. He couldn't get the wheel on. And finally, he did what little boys do. He began to cry. Now, do you think the father ignored the little fella? He might say, "Son, get out of here. I'm working on the great Panama Canal." And he can't fool with you. But he didn't do that. He laid aside the blueprints, he sat down, he took up the little fella and asked him what was the matter. And the little fella held up the little wagon in one hand and a wheel in the other. And what to the little boy was a major project, to the father was practically nothing, but just a twist of the wrist, he put the wheel on, and he kissed his tears away, patted him, put him down on the floor, and the little fella began playing a game.
My friend, do you think this morning that our Heavenly Father, who made that father and gave him that love for his child, do you think he's different? Do you think that somehow or another that he hasn't heard your prayer? And when the wheel comes off down, down here, and I want to tell you, it's a major project for us. He wants us to bring the wagon to him. And there are times, though, that we bring those things to him, and he says "no." It's not best for you. And I thank God that he answers with a "no" at times.
Again, may I be personal? When I was first married, Miss McGee and I went to St. Louis to try out in a church. I met with the elders of this church. They asked me would I consider a call. And I said I'd not give my answer until I got the call. After I returned, I got back and I waited for it. This church was a strategic church on what, in what was known as a border state between the North and the South. And it was what was called a political church, that is, the man there must be a church politician. Well, I was not a church politician then, and I'm not one today. And so the upper echelon of the Presbyterian Church in the South got busy, and they forbade that church to call me as pastor. May I say, I never had anything that hurt me as that did. It was the first time I had ever been turned down. And I went to God in prayer, and I cried out to him. I said to him, "You've let me down. I enter the ministry, and you know I'll go there and preach the word, and then you slam the door in my face." And I want to tell you, I told the Lord a great many things I shouldn't have told him, that he'd let me down. I told him how unkind he'd been, and that he was not even listening to prayer.
May I say to you, we came through St. Louis just a few short years ago. It was a hot August day, and I wouldn't even be there today for the World Series myself. May I say to you, it was not very comfortable. The air conditioning, we thought all night would go off in the motel. We got up early the next morning, and when I say early, I mean early, about 3:00, and we started out. I turned to my wife and I said, "Don't you thank God that he never let us come to this place?" May I say to you, it took many years to get past it, and then look back and see that God didn't make a mistake. He just kept me from making a mistake. I thank God he didn't let me get into that political situation, but I was young and foolish then and did not know. May I say to you this morning, my friend, he heard, he answered the prayer, and he gave the best answer that possibly could be given, but I didn't know it, and I didn't thank him at the time, but I have thanked him a thousand times since then. And so when he says "no" today, I think, still think he makes a mistake every now and then, and it takes me a long time sometimes to find out he didn't make a mistake.
"Worry about nothing; pray about everything." And with Thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God. And now, something happens, and the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
Now, this peace of God is a peace that I cannot describe to you. I know that there are many ways the word "peace" is used in the scripture, especially in the New Testament. There is world peace that is coming when the Prince of Peace comes. Then there is peace that Paul speaks of, being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. And that's the peace that comes to a sinner, that God is not angry with him anymore. That God now is not a policeman trying to beat him over the head. He's not against him, but he's for him. And that when we accept Christ, then God's on our side, he's for us, he's not against us. And that we can have that peace knowing that our sins are forgiven us. That's a wonderful peace.
And then there is that peace that's known as tranquility. Our Lord said, "My peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you. Not as the world give, give I unto you." That is the peace that comes to a child of God in the will of God when he's walking in that will, knowing that nothing is going to happen that doesn't get his permission. That's another peace. But that's not the peace here. In fact, none of these are the peace that's here. And you say, "Well, what is it?" If I could tell you what it is, it wouldn't be the peace here, because it says, "the peace of God, which passeth all understanding." And if it passeth all understanding, then that's exactly the kind of peace that it is. It just passes all understanding.
Now, I'm of the opinion that this is the peace that a great many of you have experienced. Probably most of you have experienced this peace. I don't think you can describe it. It is a peace that comes to you when, amidst the troubles and trials of life, that you're confident that he's working things out for his own good and glory and for your good. You're confident that irrespective of the circumstances, that things are going to be worked out. And it's a peace that enables you to face life full on, to stand on the wide deck of life, and to stand there knowing that it does not make any difference how hard the winds might blow, and how high the waves might roll, and it doesn't make any difference if it does look like the ship is going down. It's a peace that he gives. And he says, "The peace of God, which passeth all understanding, it shall keep your hearts." And the new Scofield Bible changed that just a little, if you've noted. They put a note in that says, "guard your hearts." And that's good. It's really a military term, and it says, "This peace of God will be on guard duty, like a sentinel will be on guard duty about your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." Will keep you through this.
Now, I want you to notice in closing something that has happened. We entered this passage in worry. "Worry about nothing." We come out in peace. May I ask the question, what has changed? Have things changed? No. The problem is still there. The waves are still rolling as high, the wind is still blowing as hard as it did at the beginning. Nothing has changed outside, but the one who's praying has changed from worry, and the peace of God now controls his heart and life. I'm convinced today that the primary purpose of prayer is not to change things, but to change us. The one who's praying is the one who changed. He entered it in worry; he came out in peace. Wonderful, glorious peace.
And this is the kind of peace that we need today. Oh, how many people today are praying for to be made easier and lighter? Have you ever noticed that the early church, when persecution broke on the church, Peter returned and told what had happened, and the early church went to God in prayer. And they didn't pray like we pray today. They didn't say, "Lord, heal the sick. Lord, remove the problems. Lord, send in the money. Lord, get rid of these persecutors. Break down the persecution." They said, "Lord, give us the courage to stand for you." They knew they needed to be changed. Our problem today is we think prayer is a little gimmick whereby we turn a faucet and we get out of it anything we want, or it's a hocus pocus that we give in a mystical way over our problems, and they disappear. That's not prayer in the New Testament sense. Prayer is when you and I go to God as we go to our Heavenly Father, and we just tell him everything, and then he takes over. He takes over, and we take hands off. And then he begins to move, not necessarily in the things outside, but in our own hearts and in our own lives. The early church knew what it was to pray. I wonder if we really know what prayer is today. I wonder if we know what it is to storm the gates of heaven and not get things changed. Sometimes he puts the wheel back on the wagon if it's better, but sometimes he doesn't. The thing he's concerned about is to change you and to change me.
"Worry about nothing; in everything with prayer and supplication with Thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God." And the peace of God, it passes all understanding. It'll be on guard duty about your heart and about your mind. Oh, how we need to enter into the treasures of real prayer today, and not use it as a gimmick, but to use it to have a great change wrought in our own hearts and lives, and bring our thinking and our wills and our plans and our purposes into conformity with the will of God. How important that is in prayer.
Shall we pray? Our gracious, loving Father, God, most of us today stand on the fringe of prayer. We've never really entered in. We've never come as a child with absolute simplicity and absolute faith to a Father, knowing that Father's going to hear and going to answer in the best way that is possible. We would say this morning, "Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief." Help us to enjoy that wonderful intimacy, that glorious privilege of talking to an omnipotent Father, but who's also omniscient, that he knows what's best for us. He'll not spoil us, but he'll do that which is best for us. We do pray, O God, thou wilt bring us to that place. And we would pray this morning that if in our midst are those listening in, there may be those that this morning are not a child of God through faith in Christ. We'd pray that they might recognize they have no claim upon him. He's a Father that hears the prayers of children, but that he also makes it very clear that if we hear his word and believe on him that sent it, that he'll give unto us eternal life. And that to as many as received him, to them gave he the right to become the sons of God, even to those that don't do any more or less than simply believe in his name. We pray for that one today who's faced with the problems of life, who's in a dark corner today, who's discouraged and despondent. We pray thou wilt bring them into the place of sonship, that they might cast themselves upon a wonderful Heavenly Father. These things we pray in Jesus' name. Amen.