We live in a world of instantaneous distractions and decisions. The culture around us conditions us to confuse the benefits of efficiency with the impatience of instant gratification. We hold a world of information and entertainment in the palm of our hands. The most obscure item can arrive on our doorstep in a day or less, possibly ordered on a credit card with money we haven’t yet earned.

You may think I am being dramatic, but as I sit here this evening, I am but one click away from being able to order a book on making crafts with cat hair. Or, perhaps, a combination lock for your ice cream container is more to your liking.

As ridiculous as those items may be, we are spoiled by the conveniences of modern-day living. When access to such amenities is out of reach, we feel displaced, burdened, and discontented.

I could sit on this topic and weigh the benefits and impacts of the growing availability to all things expedited - but I’m not going to. 

I would instead like to write about…nothing.

As tempting as it might be to leave you guessing as to what I mean by the previous sentence, let me start to explain by asking a question: Do we expect God to provide made-to-order online mega-store answers to our prayers? In other words, do we take our prayers to God in hopes that He will immediately provide the answers we desire to hear?

What if our expectations of immediate resolution cause us to focus on the wrong things when we are praying?

In Philippians 4:4-7, Paul writes the following:

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

In this passage, we see a clear directive to take things to God in prayer. Paul’s words tell us to “let your requests be made known to God.” Prayer is a good thing, and Paul is encouraging us to take all things to the Lord. But what does it say about the immediacy of expecting answers to our prayers?

In order to answer that, I want us to consider our reason for praying. 

I am going to make the hopefully accurate assumption that our desire in prayer is to see God glorified in all things (Revelation 4:11), give Him thanks (Psalm 100), and to align our will with His (Matthew 6:10). These are good things. 

We may also be seeking specific godly direction or discernment for various situations we are facing. This too, is a good thing.

However, if you are anything like me, I often find my own heart leading me astray when my worship and gratitude stem only from seeing a tangible answer to my prayers. This is not to say that we shouldn’t be full of gratitude for answered prayers, but rather that we shouldn’t only be grateful when prayers are answered in ways and timings we can clearly see.

We should be able to rejoice in the nothing. In the waiting. In the unexpected answer…which may at times seem like a non-answer. We should be able to rejoice in the very process of taking our prayers to the Lord, rather than the future rejoicing over a particular response. 

Let’s look back at Paul’s words again. He opens verse 4 by telling us to “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say, rejoice.” He isn’t telling us to rejoice on occasion. He isn’t telling us to rejoice when things are the way we want them. He is telling us to have and maintain a posture of rejoicing in the Lord - a theme that Paul expresses multiple times throughout the book of Philippians. After all, as he says, “The Lord is at hand!”

Paul is starting with a posture of rejoicing before even instructing us to take our prayers to the Lord. This indicates that our rejoicing doesn’t stem from our prayers, but rather our prayers stem from our rejoicing. By that very reasoning, we also know that our rejoicing isn’t bound by the answer or timing of the answer to our prayers.

At the start of verse 6 we see words that are probably familiar to most: “Do not be anxious about anything”. This verse is often a comfort in times when we are feeling overwhelmed by the perceived circumstances around us. But does this verse also apply to good and godly pursuits? I think it does!

All too often in our quest to glorify God in all things, we become anxious over the very answers to our prayers. We want to know that we are making the right decision, at the right time, and for the right reasons. However, in doing so, we are worshiping the result rather than the one we are praying to.

It becomes difficult, if not impossible, to rejoice because our comfort becomes tied directly to the answer to our prayer, rather than the God who hears it. Because of this, the lack of an immediate answer can become in itself a cause for anxiety, creating a vicious cycle of anxiety, petitioning, and discontentment.

At this point, I would like to point out some interesting information about Paul and this particular letter. You see, Paul was no stranger to things that might be anxiety-provoking and a reason for serious prayer. At the time this letter was written, Paul was imprisoned for preaching the Gospel. He writes in Philippians 1:13, “it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ.” So even as Paul writes about rejoicing in the Lord and being anxious for nothing, he is enduring what would clearly be understood as anxiety-provoking.

He continues on in verse 18 through 21 with the following:

Yes, and I will rejoice, for I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance, as it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.

In this passage, there are a few things to note about Paul’s state. The first being that he has complete confidence in the power and purpose of prayer and God’s deliverance from his current situation. The second is that he desires to see Christ glorified through his circumstances, regardless of his life or death.

In both instances, Paul is not directing his efforts toward the immediate resolution of his situation. He instead chooses to express a confidence in God, a contentment in the timing of his situation, and a desire to see Christ glorified.

Paul is consistent with this messaging throughout Philippians. Looking back to the end of our original passage in chapter 4, we see this in verse 7:

And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Paul isn’t calling us to pray so that we can anticipate the answer. Paul is telling us to rejoice always in the Lord. From a stance of always rejoicing, we can take all things to the Lord in prayer without anxiety. And from a stance of rejoicing without being driven by anxiety, we can find the peace of God which surpasses all understanding.

You see, like Paul, our peace isn’t found in the resolution of our circumstances because there is no circumstance that Christ has not already sufficiently and fully resolved as a part of our justification. The timing, however, may look more like part of our sanctification. Regardless, we can rest knowing that He is worthy of our praise and works everything in His time and for His glory.

So where are you at in your prayer life? 

Do you rejoice in the Lord always? 
Do you take things to the Lord in prayer with Thanksgiving?
Do you rejoice when it seems God is asking you to wait?
Do you worship because our God is worthy and works all things for His glory?

Or are you anxiously awaiting and worshiping the hoped for results of your prayers?

Take comfort in the waiting - in the nothing - because God is our everything. Our drive to find the overnight answers to our prayers robs us of the joy found in the one in whom our rest is found. 

Our God is wholly sufficient for our every need - earthly and eternal. If we know this to be true, what expected answer to prayer could ever make Him more than that? 

Lord, You alone are worthy of our worship. Help us to rejoice in You for who You are rather than what we think we need apart from You. Remind us that there is purpose in pausing to consider and rejoice in You, that is far greater than answers to prayer that only consider us and our potentially selfish desire. Help us find joy in the waiting and let us be anxious for nothing. Grant us peace that surpasses all understanding and let us be wholly fixated on You. Amen.