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Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
Philippians 4:6 · Berean Standard Bible
Parallel translations
  • WEB In nothing be anxious, but in everything, by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.
  • KJV Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
  • NKJV Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;
  • NASB Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and pleading with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.
  • NLT Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Quick answer

Instead of anxiety, believers are to bring everything to God in thankful prayer. Prayer is the appointed remedy for worry.

Overview

Paul counters anxiety not with mere positive thinking but with prayer that brings 'everything' before God. The blend of petition and thanksgiving reflects trust in a Father who hears and has already proven faithful. This verse turns the believer from fretting inward to casting cares upward, the practical fruit of confidence in God's care.

Cross-references & the web

Theme

  • Prayer"In everything by prayer… let your requests be made known to God."

Cross-references · 39

  • Prov 3:5–6Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding;
  • 1 Pet 5:7Cast all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.
  • Matt 6:25–33Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes?
  • Ps 55:22Cast your burden upon the LORD and He will sustain you; He will never let the righteous be shaken.
  • 1 Th 5:17–18Pray without ceasing.
  • Matt 7:7–8Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you.
  • Ps 34:5–7Those who look to Him are radiant with joy; their faces shall never be ashamed.
  • Matt 6:8Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.
  • Jer 33:3Call to Me, and I will answer and show you great and unsearchable things you do not know.
  • Ps 62:8Trust in Him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts before Him. God is our refuge. Selah
  • Prov 16:3Commit your works to the LORD and your plans will be achieved.
  • Col 4:2Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful,
  • Eph 6:18Pray in the Spirit at all times, with every kind of prayer and petition. To this end, stay alert with all perseverance in your prayers for all the saints.
  • Luke 18:1Then Jesus told them a parable about their need to pray at all times and not lose heart:
  • Col 3:17And whatever you do, in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.
  • Luke 12:22Then Jesus said to His disciples, “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat, or about your body, what you will wear.
  • Col 3:15Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, for to this you were called as members of one body. And be thankful.
  • Ps 51:15O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare Your praise.
  • Ps 55:17Morning, noon, and night, I cry out in distress, and He hears my voice.
  • 1 Sam 30:6And David was greatly distressed because the people spoke of stoning him, because the soul of every man grieved for his sons and daughters. But David found strength in the LORD his God.
  • Eph 5:20always giving thanks to God the Father for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
  • Jude 1:20–21But you, beloved, by building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit,
  • Luke 10:41“Martha, Martha,” the Lord replied, “you are worried and upset about many things.
  • Matt 10:19But when they hand you over, do not worry about how to respond or what to say. In that hour you will be given what to say.
  • Prov 15:8The sacrifice of the wicked is detestable to the LORD, but the prayer of the upright is His delight.
  • Luke 12:29And do not be concerned about what you will eat or drink. Do not worry about it.
  • 2 Chr 33:12–13And in his distress, Manasseh sought the favor of the LORD his God and earnestly humbled himself before the God of his fathers.
  • 1 Sam 1:15“No, my lord,” Hannah replied. “I am a woman oppressed in spirit. I have not had any wine or strong drink, but I have poured out my soul before the LORD.
  • Luke 18:7Will not God bring about justice for His elect who cry out to Him day and night? Will He continue to defer their help?
  • 2 Cor 1:11as you help us by your prayers. Then many will give thanks on our behalf for the favor shown us in answer to their prayers.
  • 1 Pet 4:7The end of all things is near. Therefore be clear-minded and sober, so that you can pray.
  • 1 Cor 7:32I want you to be free from concern. The unmarried man is concerned about the work of the Lord, how he can please the Lord.
  • Matt 13:22The seed sown among the thorns is the one who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.
  • Gen 32:7–12In great fear and distress, Jacob divided his people into two camps, as well as the flocks and herds and camels.
  • 1 Sam 7:12Afterward, Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen. He named it Ebenezer, saying, “Thus far the LORD has helped us.”
  • Dan 3:16Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego replied to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter.
  • 2 Chr 32:20In response, King Hezekiah and the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz cried out to heaven in prayer,
  • 1 Cor 7:21Were you a slave when you were called? Do not let it concern you—but if you can gain your freedom, take the opportunity.
  • Song 2:14O my dove in the clefts of the rock, in the crevices of the cliff, let me see your face, let me hear your voice; for your voice is sweet, and your countenance is lovely.

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (3)

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — Philippians videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on Philippians 4:6YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on PhilippiansMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.

Christ at the center

The one who, being in the form of God, emptied himself to the point of death on a cross and was exalted to the name above every name — the joy and prize of the believer.

How Philippians 4:6 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.

Original language

Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.