Philippians 4: 4-7
Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 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.
These words hold so much wisdom for me, and can lead to such good things. I forget them, though, and worry anyway. I have remembered, many times, to ask God for peace and for relief from my anxiety, and He is consistently generous. For me, the problem is that infrequent (but frequent enough) circumstance wherein my “worry” and preoccupation leads me to a solution. (Wasn’t that called ‘intermittent reinforcement’?) It is hard to give up worry. Most often, though, worry is about things we know we can’t control. We must look to God for peace.
Lord God, even now, this morning, I find myself worrying about one of my children, and the decisions he faces. I am not a part of those decisions, but you are. Be with him, Lord. And grant us both peace and calm in a complicated world. Amen
Becky, transforming
Philippians 4: 4-7
6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
I find that even through the time I was not attending Services regularly, I never gave up on prayer. Prayer has always been the avenue I follow when I am distressed or troubled. What I have learned is how valuable prayer is on a daily basis. Now when I pray I include everything, I don’t leave anything out. I attempt to not worry, but worry is part of my make-up, and I am working on that. Praying is now a way of giving thanks to God for His goodness, his presence in my life and…
Philippians 4:4-7 Imagine, never being anxious about anything. Paul does not say pray and worry, rather he saids do not be anxious about anything but in everything by prayer and petition make our requests known to God. This certainly is the scripture to read when we can’t get away from our “human-ness” (spot on Becky.) It makes me think about specific times when I felt most anxious, along with where I was, who I was with, what was happening, whether I slept well the night before. God’s peace is surely different from the world’s peace. Prayer is a positive action, worry is a negative action. As long as I worry, I am not trusting in God. I have to trus…
Philippians 4:4-7
7. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
God’s peace must come from His control over all life and death. This would be the ultimate tranquilizer and it is beyond all understanding. We could never come close to this level of peace, but through prayer we do start down that road. When I pray I do feel that I have shared my concerns and that I will get help.
Dear Lord, sharing problems and concerns with you through prayer brings me some peace. Thank you. Amen.
Philippians 4:4-7 7. . . . It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life. (From the Message) Worry – that’s my biggest problem and I’m sure it has to do with being in control. I do try to replace worry with prayer, but I sometimes find the worry creeping back. Do I not trust God to hear my prayer? Of course I do, but will it be what I want what God wants? Prayer: gracious God help me to trust you with my worries and keep adding to my prayers if worry creeps back. Amen
Philippians 4: 4-7
The “peace of God” of which Paul writes is at once elusive and free from the asking. Our human tendency is to consistently lean on our own understanding and this so often leads to anxious worry that solves nothing. If we could, with the help of the Holy Spirit, transform our worries for those we love into the peace of God, we do more for them than we can ever know.
Prayer - Lord, we live in anxious times. But then, does not every generation suffer under this nettlesome burden of worry? Free us with Your peace and guide our lives away from any anxiety that clouds our vision of Your love for us. Amen
TAA