Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything.
Tell God what you need and thank him for all he has done.
Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand.
His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:6-7 (NLT)
In Philippians, chapter four, Paul offers an antidote for worry; prayer. He’s not referring to morning prayers or saying grace before meals. He’s talking about a constant two-way conversation between us and God. For every concern, pray. For every frustration, pray. For every trial, pray.
Turn your thoughts, feelings, frustrations, and tears into prayers. Tell God everything that is on your mind. Don’t hold back. And thank Him for all He has done.
Now read the second part; “Then you will experience God’s peace….” The peace Paul is referring to is not the absence of strife. He’s speaking of peace in the midst of strife – the peace that brings about an inner stillness and comfort, knowing God is in control of every detail of your life.
Paul calls this extraordinary peace “God’s peace which exceeds anything we can understand.” It is the same peace a baby experiences after it has nursed and falls asleep in the arms of its mother. It is the peace that floods every part of our being when we take every worrisome thought captive to Christ and release it to Him in prayer.
God’s peace is not a temporary peace that needs replacing when it runs out, but a continual and indestructible outpouring of God’s bountiful gifts. His peace is bestowed in proportion to our needs. In turn, this peace circles back, influencing how we think and feel. It turns off the worrisome thoughts and channels them towards God’s faithfulness and love.
Thought: “We trust. We rely solely upon God’s ability to catch us. As we do, a wonderful thing happens: we find peace. We find joy. We find it is possible to be anxious for nothing.” – Max Lucado
For further reading:
- Isaiah 26:3
- John 14:27
- John 16:33
- 2 Thessalonians 3:16