Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. (Phil. 4:6)

Sometimes we fear to approach God, thinking it’s not appropriate to bother him with the little things. But he wants us to connect with him in everything. 

As a Christian teen, I grew impatient with an experienced carpenter who paused on our mission project to find a fallen nail. “Just grab another nail,” I said. “Well, Bryan,” he said, “I just prayed that God would help me find it. So, I think I ought to look.”

I scowled, “Maybe we shouldn’t bother God about nails.” “Oh no, Bryan,” the carpenter replied, “God says to pray to him about ‘everything.’” 

The carpenter was right. When the Apostle Paul says to take everything to God in prayer, he really means everything. We can pray about finding nails or keys – or about finding our way through stormy nights or relationships. We can pray about minor worries and major catastrophes, about our discomforts and others’ tragedies.

If my children only came to me when the issues were serious, I’d rarely hear from them, and we’d grow distant. It’s our regular conversations about the small things that knit our hearts together. 

The gracious Heavenly Father who knows this truth and desires to knit our hearts to his, urges us to seek him in everything. So, we should thank him for his meticulous care, and come to him in frequent prayer.

Prayer:

Lord, I can be anxious about many things. Assure me by your Fatherly heart that I can bring everything before you in prayer, and that you want me to!