Commissioned: Pray First: Unlocking Hearts Through Prayerಮಾದರಿ

Pray for Peace and Strength

It takes strength and courage to reach out to people. They might misunderstand us. They might say hurtful things to us or about us. They might reject us entirely. Or, they might accept what we say—leading us into a whole different kind of relationship with them! We don’t know what might happen! This is why we need to find our peace and strength in a life of prayer and relationship with God.

The apostle Paul tells us in his letter to the Ephesians to draw our strength from the Lord. He reminds us that we are not struggling with people, but against the devil and evil spirits that want to keep people from God. He pictures us as warriors, dressed in the army of Roman soldiers. Our protective armor is not made of steel; it is made of spiritual substances: truth, righteousness, readiness to share the Good News, faith, and salvation. We have two offensive weapons, the Word of God and prayer. The apostle urges us to pray at every opportunity, making our requests to God for ourselves and for others, so that we can share the Good News with boldness and courage.

The apostle Paul tells the Philippian church that God’s supernatural peace can guard our hearts and minds. The steps he gives for obtaining this peace are practical and simple:

1. Don’t worry about anything.
2. When you begin to feel anxious, stop and pray.
3. Ask God to take care of the things that could worry you.
4. Thank God, believing that He will take care of the situation.
5. Enjoy a peace that surpasses anything you can understand!

Strength and courage do not come from our attempts to psych ourselves up; they come from prayer. Peace does not come by hiding from our fears; it comes by taking our fears to God and making our needs known to Him.

Stop, think and pray:

Let’s put the apostle Paul’s counsel into practice. What am I worried about right now? What can I ask God to do about the situation? Let’s make our requests to God, and then thank Him for what He will do.

"Heavenly Father, I come before you today, surrendering my anxieties and worries to you. In my present situation, I bring my requests to you through prayer and I thank you that You hear me and will answer. May your peace, which surpasses all understanding, guard my heart and mind in Christ Jesus. Fill me with your Holy Spirit and grant me the strength to face whatever comes my way, knowing that you are always with me. Amen."