Philippians 4:6-7 — Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
Supplication — asking for things — it’s the kind of prayer we all start with. You might think we’d be experts, but I’ll come back to that.
The Greek and Hebrew words most translated as “supplication” translate as ask, or plead. But “supplication” makes clear an idea that should be present when we ask God for the things we would like Him to give to us or do for us. It comes from a Latin word “supplicare” — “plead humbly”. Humility is certainly a necessary attribute when we ask God for anything.
This idea of supplication is where, surely, most of us start. As children we are, perhaps, naturally humble. God is such a mystery to us that the idea of pride before Him means nothing. As we get older, though, there is a risk that we start to rely on ourselves more than we should — and our asking becomes an arrogant presentation of demands that somehow, foolishly, we think that any sensible God would surely meet … Learning the lesson of humility becomes essential.
But there is more to this business of expert supplication.
It’s not about asking for what we want. It’s about asking for — reaffirming that we want — what God wants.
God has a plan. He has a plan for each one of us. When we pray in supplication we should believe that those things we are seeking are not part of a random shopping list that we have dreamed up, but are actually part of God’s plan: “But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.” (James 1:6.)
This is a mechanism that, for a long time, I had not considered. The prayer of faith does not originate with me — the prayer of faith originates with the Holy Spirit within me.
Expert supplication is persistent, too. Luke reminds us in his gospel, “And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint;” (Luke 18:1). It’s a wonderful idea — persistent supplication is the intentional activity of listening to the Holy Spirit reminding me of the will of God, and taking His promptings and returning them to the Father with my commitment to play my part.
Understanding supplication in this way helps me understand why adoration, confession and thanksgiving have to come first. They are the activities that quiet my spirit, sharpen my faith and open my spiritual ears. Then I am ready to ask God for the things He has determined to provide!