Philippians 4:6 Do not worry about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.

Each November, the United States sets aside one special day to give thanks. Holidays can provoke extra stress for families parenting children with extraordinary needs. The change of routine, extra sensory stimulation, and food outside of a regular diet can put extra strain on parents and children. Expectations, whether realistic or unrealistic, whether our own or those of others, heighten the stress of holiday gatherings. God’s Word instructs us not to worry, but that can be a tall order. What comfort follows! This verse instructs us in each step of the solution for worry.

In everything:

Whatever the concerns may be, God wants to hear them all. Nothing is too big or too small for God. The same One who created the galaxies in the sky also created every cell in our bodies. He is big enough to be mindful of it all. Jesus experienced the hardships of life; he is not a distant God. He understands our struggles, and he invites us to come to him with everything that causes us concern.

By prayer and petition:

Prayer is simply talking to God. It can include praising him, declaring who he is, and thanking him for what he has done. It can include confessing sin and seeking forgiveness. It can also include expressing needs and requesting his intervention. Jesus reconciled us to God, giving us direct access to him in prayer.

With thanksgiving:

Science is figuring out what God's Word has told us all along: anxiety and gratitude cannot coexist. An effective strategy for overcoming worry is shifting our focus to thanksgiving. Genuine gratitude robs anxiety of its power. We have so much to be thankful for—especially our salvation through Jesus’ sacrifice! We look expectantly, with hope, to an eternity in heaven, where all things will be made right.

Thanks be to God!

Present your requests to God:

In the same way we want our children to come to us with their needs, God wants us to bring each worry to him. It's true that he already knows our needs, but through prayer, we are looking to him as the solution. It's not within our own power that we overcome challenges and the worry that accompanies them. It is with God's help that we endure and work through the struggles. Jesus was a great example of a man of prayer. Throughout the Gospels we read that Jesus, truly God and truly man, went continually to the Father in prayer.

God's Word reminds us that pausing to give thanks is not reserved for a special holiday. Thanksgiving is tied to going to God in prayer where worry is replaced by gratitude and trust. Parents, as you work to address the challenges of planning holiday celebrations—especially ones that work well for your children with extraordinary needs—the wisdom of Philippians 4:6 is your starting point. You are not alone. The best Father of all is ready to help you. Turn to him, and God bless your celebrations!

Prayer: God, you are our benevolent King, master of the universe and intimately acquainted with our sorrow and grief. Forgive me for the worries that distract my attention. Please help me come to you with all my concerns, whether big or small. Please shift my focus from the issues at hand to you, who holds the whole world in his hands. Increase my trust in you. In Jesus’ holy name I pray, Amen.

by Rebeckah Ellinghuysen