Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, 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 your minds in Christ Jesus.
Prayer is the privilege of people who are saved by grace through faith in Christ, for by His sacrificial death and glorious Resurrection, He tore down the dividing wall between God and man and gave us access to His throne of grace, for mercy to find help in time of need. We are exhorted not to worry about anything, but instead to pray confidently about everything. We are to tell the Lord our needs, laying our petitions humbly at His feet and thanking Him for all He has done. We are not to be anxious about anything, but are to bring everything in life to the Lord in prayer. We are to keep our hearts free from fretting and worry and this can only be achieved as we cast all our care and concern on the Lord Jesus, for He cares for us. Being anxious for nothing is not a suggestion, it is a command and a responsibility for all who are born from above. Anxiety not only demonstrates a lack of confidence in God and a lack of faith in His Word, it is deliberate disobedience to His clear directive. The more we recognize God’s sovereign hand in our daily problems and life’s uncertainties, the more our anxious thoughts will melt away. We are to tell Him all our needs, lay all our burdens down at His feet and leave them there, for as anxiety is set aside, so our faith will correspondingly increase. Any inward-focused worries are to be replaced with God-honoring, God-focused, God-dependent prayer. Worry has a detrimental effect on our fellowship with the Father, for as faith increases so worry is eliminated. But if worry is allowed to fester in our heart and ferment in our mind, so faith begins to falter and the enemy is given a foothold. There is nothing too great and nothing too small that cannot be given to the Lord. There is no anxiety so disturbing that cannot be guarded by the perfect peace of God and no pain so deep that cannot be healed by His tender touch. In worry, we talk to ourselves. In prayer, we talk to God. When we worry, we focus on the circumstances of life, but in prayer, we focus on our Heavenly Father. Worry is self-centered and selfish and is rooted in the sin of unbelief, but prayer is God-centered and pleasing to Him, for prayer is built on a heart that trusts His Word and depends upon Him for all our needs. It is by faith that we were saved, and it must be by faith that we live. It is by faith that every anxious thought is banished from our heart, and when faith in our Heavenly Father is translated into prayers and supplication, our requests may be made in quietness and in confidence that He will hear and answer. It is to God that our prayers and petitions are made and through our Savior that our prayers are presented, because we have been saved by grace through faith in Him. May we maintain a heart of grateful thanksgiving and praise for all His goodness and grace to us, and may we be anxious about nothing, but in everything through our grateful prayers and entreaties make our requests known to Him, and we will discover His peace that passes understanding, guarding our heart and mind, as we abide in Christ and He is us. The holiday season is all about food right?! Wrong! It’s about rest and quiet. Those two words are at the root of “peace.” Spend this holiday season not in worry and dismay. Spend it in peace through prayer. Pray for what you need, but remember to thank God for what He has already done for you. Put your trust in the Lord, pray, and He promises inner peace.
Spiritual Steve 