Replacing worry with peace

Philippians 4:6-7 (NIV)

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 minds in Christ Jesus.

Other than John 3:16 and John 14:6, these verses might be the most quoted, most comforting, most favorite verses in the entire Bible.  In the Navigators Bible Memorization System, this verse and John 15:7 are the two primary verses to memorize on the subject of prayer.  There are many wonderful promises and truths in these two verses with key words being anxious (worry), prayer, thanksgiving, peace, understanding, and guarding hearts and minds.

Why is it that we do not believe what this verse says and promises?  It says that you are not to worry about anything, yet you do.  It says rather than worry (you realize, don't you, that worry is always a choice), you are to pray and ask God for everything, yet do you?  Do you really take this verse at face value and pray about everything?  Do you wonder why you don’t have peace of heart and mind in your life?  Read the verse again……it says that rather than worrying about things in your life, you pray about them, and when you pray, you experience the peace of God, both in your heart (your emotions) and in your mind (your thoughts).  If you find yourself anxious, if you still worry, if you do not have peace of heart and mind, you do not believe these verses or you are not practicing them.  Obviously, it takes faith in our God to believe in what He is saying to you in these verses. 

Do you realize that most of what you worry about never happens?  Mark Twain once said: "I am an old man and have known a great many troubles, most of which never happened."  Calvin Coolidge once said: "If you see ten troubles coming down the road, you can be sure that nine will run into the ditch before they reach you." So often what really bothers you and causes stress can be readily eliminated through praying about it and having the faith that God will take care of it.  He promises He will in these verses and He will replace your worry with peace.  

Note that when we pray about our anxieties, we also must thank God for His answers. Remember that Jesus said in Matthew 21:22 that “in everything you ask in prayer, believing, you shall receive”.  For example, you are anxious about a loved one and you pray for them, whatever the situation is that you hope can change.  When you pray and ask God for help, thank Him for hearing your prayer and believe that He has heard it and will respond to it according to His will.  Note that God does not promise to answer your prayer(s) according to your will, but He does promise that praying with thanksgiving will give you peace.  How this happens, these verses are honest, it is beyond our understanding.  Again, it requires faith to believe the promises and truths of Philippians 4:6-7. 

Worry will never get you anywhere.  Praying for peace in your heart and mind will do you more good than anything else.  Thank the Lord for His willingness to help you and give you what you really need today.