How To Pray With Thanksgiving
by Dan Jones, M.D.
Philippians 4:6-7
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Those first days for me in North Korea were days filled with opportunities for anxiety. Everything was strange to me. I had traveled before in communist countries. I had been in China and the Soviet Union. I had traveled in other countries, such as Iran, where oppression was a part of life. But I had never been to a place that came close to the feeling of oppression as in this country. I was frightened by the very visible presence of the military everywhere. I was amazed and frightened by the degree of control the government seemed to exert over the people. And I was anxious not having the control over many things in my own life I usually controlled, such as the daily schedule. We were not told from day to day what we would do next. I was at the mercy of others’ decisions and I felt out of control.
In this environment, it was easy to begin feeling sorry for myself and my situation. I was literally half way around the world from my family. I was totally out of touch with them as telephone calls back to the United States were not possible. I had a mission to accomplish during my stay. I very much wanted to meet and establish a relationship with medical educators from North Korea. But after several days, a meeting had not been arranged by my government handlers and there was no assurance such a meeting would happen. Anxiety heightened to frustration.
But over and over, God kept bringing Paul’s words about anxiety back to my mind. He reminded me that I needed to pray “with thanksgiving”. Of course, in the midst of anxiety and frustration, thanksgiving doesn’t come easily. But God worked with me and lessened my anxiety and frustrations by reminding me of my blessings.
He reminded me that my very presence in this country was a great blessing. Years earlier, God had placed in my heart a love for the Korean people. After enjoying living and working in South Korea for several years, God placed a desire in my heart to establish relationships with Koreans living in the North. It seemed an unrealistic dream to some as there were no diplomatic relations between the US and North Korea and travel to North Korea by Americans was very uncommon. It was only through blessings from God that the doors of opportunity for this travel were opened.
I was also reminded how grateful I was for my own country and my own freedom. These few days in an oppressive place without the personal freedoms we all take for granted in the US made me very conscious of how important this is for me personally. In this world today, billions of people are without the most basic personal freedoms.
Lord, make me grateful for the many blessings of my life. When I am anxious, help me to pray with thanksgiving.
Dan Jones, M.D., MACP, FAHA, a board-certified Internist, a former medical missionary to Korea, professor of medicine at the University of Mississippi School of Medicine, Dean of the School of Medicine, and Chancellor of the University of Mississippi until 2015. Dr. Dan Jones is a member of CMDA.
Dr. Jones welcomes any comments or questions about what he has written and can be reached at - djones@umc.edu
Rounds with the Master, Spiritual Pearls from the Great Physician Devotionals are released every Monday and Thursday.
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