I have a confession: my prayer time doesn’t always look super spiritual. But let me explain.

For example, this morning as I sat down with my coffee and bible, and began to thank God for all He is and all He’s done in my life, my thoughts began to wander a bit. While still praying in the Spirit, I thought about the life insurance discussion last night at the Financial Peace class; then felt the recent twinge of discomfort in my hip from the way I sit on the couch so I looked that up (while still praying in the Spirit); and then my heart wandered to people I haven’t checked on lately so as I continued to pray, I made a reminder on my Ipad.

The list could go on, but hopefully you get the picture.

Not super spiritual–

Or is it? After brain-dumping on God, I thanked Him for listening. And the Holy Spirit brought Philippians 4 to mind. The Apostle Paul gave us simple instructions: “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!” (Philippians 4:4). You can run and shout if you want, but rejoicing can also look like a smile and a sincere thank you (on repeat).

“Let your graciousness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God” (verses 5-6). I tend to think he meant everything when he said everything. In other words, what’s on your heart? Take that to God. And definitely be thankful as you offer your faith-filled requests to the Lord. Your overflowing gratitude blesses Him.

Whether you’re praying for wisdom or people or nations, if it’s a concern to you, you should take that to the Lord. The Amplified says, “Do not fret or have any anxiety about anything, but in every circumstance and in everything, by prayer and petition (definite requests), with thanksgiving, continue to make your wants known to God” (Philippians 4:6).

If we believe this verse, then maybe our prayers are more spiritual than they appear.

Let God know your concerns

I often read the Bible in multiple translations (kind of like walking around something to observe it from every angle). The Message Translation of Philippians 4:6-7 is so plain: “Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.”

I’m not advocating for a prayer life that’s only about us and our needs– but, this is God’s Word. The Holy Spirit inspired these instructions to bring every concern, every worry, every thought to the Lord in prayer– because He cares (1 Peter 5:7). I recently told a loved one, “God not only cares about your need, He takes care of it too.”

But it starts with faith-filled prayer.

The Bible promises that when we apply these truths to our life, “the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:7). This is the result of releasing the worry and trusting God to give wisdom and take care of circumstances outside of our control.

Don’t stop at Amen.

“And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about the things that are excellent and worthy of praise. Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me [Paul]– everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you [too]” (Philippians 4:8-9 NLT).

I love this. Paul ever-so-honestly stated, “This is what I do.” In fact, in other letters, he said, “Imitate me as I imitate Christ” (1 Corinthians 4:16, 11:1). The Lord Jesus did this too… He went to the Father in prayer about everything.

So maybe brain-dumping, with faith and gratitude, is more spiritual than it appears. What we know for sure is, the Lord wants an authentic relationship with us. If your best friend was the wisest, most caring person in the world, wouldn’t you want to talk to them about everything?

This is who the Lord is– and how He wants us to know Him. So go ahead, tell Him all about it.