Philippians 4:6-7 "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything ... present your requests to God. And the peace of God ... will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."
What the apostle is doing here in effect is writing a prescription for one of our commonest ailments: worry. It's a remedy God recommends in Scripture in dozens of places. It's really effective, but so often we just don't use it -- we don't even try.
"In everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God" (Philippians 4:6), this prescription of the apostle reads. Now notice how it goes on -- words that many of us have heard again and again -- "and the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:7).
What a promise! The peace of God, which Jesus gained when He took our place under God's justice and reconciled us with His Father, will keep (the word really means to stand guard like a sentinel or body guard) our heart and mind safe and serene.
That promise still stands. It has never been revoked. The power of prayer has not been diminished. It is still the key that unlocks God's omnipotence and brings it to bear on the burdened, anxious hearts of His praying children.
PRAYER: Grant, mighty Lord, an increasing measure of the peace and strength that is ours when we through implicit trust and confident prayer cast all our anxieties on You. For Jesus' sake we pray. Amen.
(Taken from "Words of Promise," copyright 1996, Concordia Publishing House (out of print). For information on other devotional materials, call 1-800-325-3040.)
Today's Bible Readings: Exodus 36-38 Mark 4:1-20
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