Looking at different translations of a verse is often enlightening. Many versions of 4:6 echo and confirm each other, but a few stand out in wording or phrasing.
"Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done" (New Living Translation).
The wording of the last phrase is a reminder to keep God's past answers to prayer in mind as we lift up new requests. That will build our confidence in His faithfulness, and strengthen the habit of running to Him.
"Be anxious in nothing, but in everything by tefillah and by techinnah with hodayah, let your requests be made known before Hashem…" (Orthodox Jewish Bible).
The definitions of Hebrew terms used here add depth to the overall message. "Tefillah" (to think, entreat and intercede) implies that we can pray for others as well as ourselves, spreading the blessing. "Techinnah" (supplication for favor) stresses the humble posture we are to have as we approach God, while "hodayah" means a large expression of thanksgiving. Brought together, these describe a generous, passionate, and potentially joyful time of prayer.
"Be ye nothing busy, but in all prayer and beseeching, with doing of thankings, be your askings known at God" (Wycliff Bible).
To busy ourselves is to stay occupied and engaged with something. That could be a good thing, but in this case it suggests how we often become focused on taking care of our issues and needs ourselves. But again, Paul suggests that lifting prayers upward can be the antidote to a self-centered mindset.
"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" (The Message, v.6-7).
The Message expands the original text by explaining some practical steps to employ Paul's practice of prayer. Just reading the description of how our thoughts and attitudes will be changed can generate a sense of peace.
"Do not be anxious or worried about anything, but in everything [every circumstance and situation] by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, continue to make your [specific] requests known to God" (Amplified Bible).
This translation clarifies some of Paul's words without taking anything away from his message. We are called to pray every time we feel a burden, and it's important to be specific in those prayers. It builds our trust in God, and will show us later how He has provided.
The Matthew Henry Concordance likens the first phrase to Jesus' words in Matthew 6:25, where he tells his disciples, "...do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear." Henry comments, "Be careful for nothing, so as by your care to distrust God, and unfit yourselves from his service."
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