The Peace of Believing Prayer (Philippians 4:6-7)

by Mr. Whitney V. Myers

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Woman Praying - Philippians 4:6 - Pixabay photo - Used under license

"Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything; tell God your needs, and don’t forget to thank him for his answers.  (7) If you do this, you will experience God’s peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand.  His peace will keep your thoughts and your hearts quiet and at rest as you trust in Christ Jesus." 
(Philippians 4:6-7 The Living Bible)

     This scripture is special to me.  Philippians 4:6-7 is the first scripture passage I memorized after committing my life to the Lord in 1974.  My thirst for the Word began then.  My wife and I both memorized this scripture at the urging of our first Adult Bible Study teacher, "Bruce."  Bruce continually quipped, "When in a fix, Philippians 4:6."

     This article essentially is a reprint of an article I wrote in the 1982 time frame for our church newspaper, "The Good News." 

     Worry still is a major issue for people.  In fact, worry is rampant.  Worry is nearly universal in our American lifestyle; it certainly affects non-Christians, but it also affects Christians.  Non-Christians do not have the resources to draw upon that we have -- namely, the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, His word, and the Christian support community.  Oh how miserable it must be to live and not know Jesus Christ!

Pray about everything

     First, Paul tells us we are to pray, and not only to pray, but to pray about everything, and that includes praying about everything that worries us.  God is not too busy to hear our prayers -- He is always available.  Too often we are too busy to avail ourselves of His time.  Furthermore, our God is concerned about all of our life, down to the smallest detail.  He wants us to cast all of our anxieties on Him, not just the emergencies (1 Peter 5:7 ESV).

Tell God our needs

     Second, we are to tell God our needs.  I find it interesting that although God knows everything about us, including our thoughts and concerns, Paul instructs us to tell God our needs.  There are many fine ways to pray -- in church, in groups -- but I believe the key is to have a foundation of private and personal prayer with God on a frequent and regular basis.  Prayer with the body of Christ is uplifting and necessary to our spiritual well-being, but there is no substitute for quality time spent alone with the Lord.

Thank Him for His answers

     Third, we are to thank God for His answers.  We are to pray with thanksgiving in our hearts.  An attitude of thanklessness on our part -- for God's blessings and provisions for us and for His answers to our prayers -- is a major hindrance to an effectual prayer life and hampers the development of a close relationship with God.  Each day as we pray it is helpful to recall the things we have previously prayed about, and to thank Him for His answers -- and for those answers which are still "on the way." 

Experience God's peace

      Fourth, God promises us peace -- a wonderful peace in our hearts.  He promises that His peace will guard our hearts (Philippians 4:7 ESV).  The Greek word for guard is phroureó, which means to be a watcher in advance, to mount guard as a sentinel, and to protect (Strong's Exhaustive Concordance, Ref. 1).  God's peace guards our hearts and keeps our thoughts quiet.

This peace, God's peace in our hearts, is so precious that man's mind can never produce it -- it is given by God.  And, the only way we can receive it is to trust in Christ Jesus.  There is no other way to receive the "peace which surpasses understanding" (Philippians 4:7 ESV) than to trust personally in Jesus Christ.  We do this by placing our complete reliance upon Him as a person and on His word -- we place the care of our whole being into His hands.

With the world, there is worry.  In contrast, as followers of Jesus Christ, we can pray about everything, tell God our needs, and thank Him for His answers.  Then His peace will keep our thoughts and our hearts quiet and at rest as we trust in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:6-7 TLB).

References
1.  https://biblehub.com/greek/5432.htm
2.  http://www.scriptureway.com/home/the-keys-to-effective-prayer

For Additional Reading
     To read more on the topic of prayer, check the article, "The Keys to Effective Prayer" (Ref. 2).