November 16

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. — Phil 4:6 BSB

What a powerful word—“everything!” You, dear saint, are invited to bring everything to the throne of God. Every small matter? Yes. Even what others call trifles? Yes. Your daily concerns? Yes. If you believe there is a God who hears, then it is your privilege to bring everything to Him. Nothing is excluded. In everything, by prayer and supplication. Sometimes we pray; sometimes we supplicate.

Prayer is gentler, less intense than supplication, but no less effective. I’ve compared them to two natural things. Prayer is like a calm river flowing steadily to the sea, while supplication is like a torrent in the mountains, leaping from cliff to cliff. Prayer is the quiet expression of the soul’s needs to God, while supplication is the fervent cry, the desperate plea rushing into God’s presence with broken sighs and groans.

We see both in the life of Jesus. He spent whole nights in prayer, communing with His Father in peace. But in Gethsemane and on the cross, He supplicated, crying out with tears and agony. In the one, He prayed; in the other, He supplicated.

When your soul is at peace in God’s presence, you can pray with sweetness and calm. But there are times when, under Satan’s attack and the weight of guilt, you must cry out as if your very life depends on being heard—that is supplication. And there is another thing we often overlook: thanksgiving. Prayer, supplication, and thanksgiving—these three form the essence of true spiritual service.