Our prayers are precious to Jesus

Philippians 4:6 “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”

There are times when we come to the Lord with prayers and intercessions that we find ourselves anxious about the situation or person we are praying for especially if it involves us and/or someone we care about. Here Paul instructs us to be anxious for no thing.

There is nothing too big for our God, nothing our God cannot handle. He has promised to never leave or abandon us (Hebrews 13:5). He says in His Word in many places that He does listen to us and hear our prayers. Revelations 5:8 and 8:3-4 speak of the prayers of the saints being presented to God in His throne room in a golden bowl as incense. God not only hears our prayers, they are placed in a golden bowl (a place of honor) as incense next to Him for Him to breathe them in and make them a part of who He is. Our prayers are precious to Him. We have nothing to be anxious for because our God cares for us and loves us (1 Peter 5:7). We and our requests are important to Him.

Paul also instructs us to come with thanksgiving. Over the years this part of intercession has become easier for me but when I first started coming to the Lord in the way Paul is instructing us, this part was difficult. I couldn't and still am not always able to come with a heart thankful for the prayer requests I am praying about. Some requests are too painful to be thankful for at the initial time of intercession. But as I prayed through this verse and asked God for clarification it became clear to me that God understood my pain and difficulty in not always being thankful for the trials and tribulations I was praying for. What then started to roll through my mind was the many blessings, times of faithfulness, and answers to prayer God had given to me in the past. These things I could be thankful for. If I could remember and be thankful for past answers and evidences of His faithfulness to me and those I prayed for, I could now come to Him with these current requests with a thankful heart.  

Come to the Throne Room with confidence, hope, gentleness, without anxiety and present your requests to Jesus with a thankful heart knowing and remembering His faithfulness and love for you and those you pray for today.