REST: Living Anxiety-Free in an Anxiety-Full WorldSample

Prayer and Thanksgiving for Lasting Peace

In the final part, we explore the profound counsel of Apostle Paul in Philippians 4:6. Shift your focus from anxiety to prayer and thanksgiving, understanding their transformative power. Experience the promised peace that surpasses all understanding.

The Apostle Paul gives one of the most outstanding counsels in the scriptures in Philippians 4:6 (NET). He says, "Do not be anxious about anything. Instead, in every situation, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, tell your requests to God."

This is good and wise counsel; instead of worrying why not pray and thank God? Being anxious doesn't get anything done, rather, it kills us internally. It is a waste of time to be anxious because it gets nothing done. But Prayer and Thanksgiving get a lot done. Let's explore this for a while;

A) When you pray, you turn the matter over to God: You are simply casting your cares and burdens at His feet. You are allowing Him to exchange your weakness for His strength. The less prayerful we become the more anxious we become. And the more prayerful we become the less anxious we will be. Oftentimes, anxiety is proof of prayerlessness. A man who prays is often full of faith and courage.

B) When we give thanks, we become more assured of God's faithfulness: Thanksgiving helps our minds to remember how good and faithful God is to us in times past and if He was faithful yesterday, He will be tomorrow. Thanksgiving is an eye opener and it removes our focus from the problem to the God with whom there is no impossibility.

The result of engaging in Prayer and Thanksgiving is - "Peace that passes all understanding." In verse 7, Apostle Paul tells us that having done the above, "And the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus."Philippians 4:7 NET

This is the miracle; the peace of God powerfully guards our hearts and minds and we can live above anxiety and live in courage.

It is God's promise to you that you will have perfect peace even in this troubled world. Why not live on this promise now?