From the Home Place

September 14, 2025

Through a strange order of events, I was pretty much raised by my Uncle Clayton and his family for the first years of my life. Uncle Clayton was a very easy-going man. He spoke slowly, softly and moved with intention. In all of my years knowing this man, he very seldom showed any anger, and if he was angry, it was usually at something that happened and seldom at the person or people involved. In other words, it was the situation that angered him, but he could forgive the people who caused the anger.

As a little boy, I spent much time alongside my Uncle Clayton. I thought I was helping him with the many chores to be completed around his family ranch, but in reality, I’m sure that I was much more of a chore than of a help. Oh, the amazing things this ‘ol gentleman taught me through his quiet, easy-going demeaner.

You see, my real Dad was for the most part, just the opposite of Uncle Clayton. Dad had a quick temper, worked at a wide-open pace all of the time, and required things to be done quickly and exactly the way he wanted them done. He didn’t explain or teach like Uncle Clayton did, Dad just demanded.

Today, I’m a bit of a mix of both men, especially when it comes to projects like fixing up this old house. I can get angered when something doesn’t work the way I think it should, but then I can also end a day with little accomplished and still be grateful for the day. Quite often in my life I have heard the famous words of my Uncle Clayton when after a long day’s work, he would look at me and say, “I think this day is tired of us.” That meant that even though we had worked hard, and maybe not completed our task, we had done enough for today. It was easy for Uncle Clayton to call it a day, while my Dad would require extra hours of labor to get the job done and done right, or he wouldn’t be able to sleep knowing that he had left the job undone – he would get very anxious if it didn’t go his way.

All of this is to ask some questions: which man are you like? Why? Is one better than the other? Why?

The Bible clearly states in Philippians 4:6, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” The word “prayer” means to ask God about the situation, while “supplication” means to plead with God that the situation gets resolved. “Supplication” carries more urgency.

At first glance, it would appear that in Philippians 4:6 we have both the calm (“prayer”) and the anxious (“supplication”). Yet the verse begins with the command, “Be anxious for nothing.” You see, to be “anxious” is to worry about the situation until it is resolved, and then often worry about the resolution. “Supplication” definitely has a sense of urgency, but it also has full assurance that however things work out, God is in control. There in, was the difference between Uncle Clayton and my dad, one trusted God (“with thanksgiving”), the other trusted himself.

In Psalm 94:19, David tells God, “When my anxious thoughts multiply within me, Your consolations delight my soul.” The word translated “consolations” here, is often translated “comfort” in other Old Testament Scriptures. When David was “anxious” about something, He was able to bring that situation before God in “prayer” and there in God’s presence, David would find a peace that surpassed understanding (Phil. 4:7).

Conclusion: When we are feeling anxious about anything, we should bring that anxious thought to God through “prayer and supplication.” Not expecting God to resolve the situation, but to find the heart of God in the situation. It’s the old “peace in the storm” analogy once again. Too often we expect God to remove the problem, instead of looking for His hand within the problem. When my focus is upon the problem, I get upset, or angry, when things are not resolved quickly.

One more question, “Is it possible that God allows certain circumstances to occur so that we will come to Him in prayer, not to find resolution, but to find Him?” I respond with “Absolutely!” We worry about the details while God is concerned about the relationship. Isaiah Chapter 6 – God allows grief to grasp the heart of Isaiah; Isaiah goes into the temple to “pray” about the situation and there Isaiah finds himself in the presence of God. In the presence of God Isaiah comes to confession, cleansing and commissioning. All because a painful situation brought him before God. And that my friend, is how you allow circumstances to make you better instead of bitter – focus upon God!

When Peter was sinking in the storm, all he had to do was push his hand up and say, “Lord save me!” The next thing we know is that ‘ol Pete and Jesus were safely in the boat. Trials are not God’s obstacle; they are an opportunity for us to know Him better.

True, “It takes all kinds of people to make the world go around,” but for all of us, the correct path is to keep our eyes “fixed upon the author and perfector of faith.” As such, “I think this day is tired of us.” May His peace reside upon you regardless of your circumstances.

Focusing upon Jesus with you, Neal