Day #8: “Bring Anything and Everything to God and Find Peace” (Luke Kephart)
A special thanks to Luke Kephart for writing today’s blog. Luke is one of our newest elders and the first contributor beyond myself. (MK)
Philippians 4:4–7 (ESV): 4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. 5 Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; 6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
In the Bible, Paul mentions prayer (prayers, prayer reports, prayer requests, exhortations to pray), 41 times. In the sermons and posts over these 40 days we will have covered a lot of the reasons to pray and how to do it. In our passage, Paul calls us to one of the key reasons to pray.
Philippians 4:4-7 begins with an encouragement to rejoice in the Lord, culminating in the promise of God’s surpassing peace. Amidst these expressions of joy and peace, Paul addresses a common adversary; anxiousness. It’s important to clarify that we’re not talking about clinical anxiety disorders which are excessive, persistent, and irrational anxiety that can have many causes, and may require professional treatment. While prayer and faith can also benefit those suffering from anxiety, the anxiousness we are talking about is a worry that comes naturally to us as we face things that are legitimately scary or worrisome. So, what is the problem with worrying about worrisome things? This is what God has said to us:
- Isaiah 41:10 Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
- 1 Peter 5:6,7 Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.
- Psalm 62:8 Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us.
When we let our worries become our focus, we lose focus on God and can’t see how God can manage our fears as He has promised. In my case, the root cause is often a lack of humility. I think that I can fix things, even though I’ve had many experiences where I have no control at all. That attitude tries to put me in the role that God has reserved for Himself, and it ultimately fails. We are to cast our cares on him.
Psalm 62:8. “O people, pour out your heart before Him”, points us back to the guidance in our passage, “The Lord is at hand; 6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.”
If we break that down:
- The Lord is at hand. – He is not distant but is waiting for us.
- In everything – There are no things too big or too small, but that God wants us to bring them to Him.
- Through prayer and supplication – Communicating with God, with humility and earnestness.
- With thanksgiving – don’t forget all that God has already done,
- Let your requests be made known to God. – Share your heart with God.
The takeaway is the peace of God which is beyond understanding. The promise isn’t that you will get what you ask for, but that God is working for His purposes and for your good, and that God’s peace will guard you in Jesus.
In 1982, when I was 16, I was in a car accident and suffered a spinal cord injury. My mom prayed earnestly and was convinced that I would be completely healed. After an extended time, mom realized that her perception of God’s healing wasn’t going to happen. We talked about it, and we concluded that God had done a healing work in me, but that it was in my spirit and my acceptance of His will, and less so in my body. God gave my mom peace in that outcome. That peace made it clear that that God was at work in me, and that she could trust Him for her answers. You can too, and that trust will guard our hearts and minds when the reasons aren’t apparent.
Here is some guidance on how to pray*:
- Plan your prayer on how Jesus taught His disciples to pray.
- Before you begin to pray think about the things that are causing you worry. Write some down.
- Before you pray think about all the ways that God has cared for you. Write some down.
- When you reach the part of your prayer for requests, include prayer for thanksgiving.
- At the end of this period, ask God to grant you His peace.
- Allow some quiet time to allow yourself to feel God’s peace.
- Finish by acknowledging God’s power and glory.
*A planned-out prayer isn’t always necessary or good, but in some cases, it can really support being intentional. It’s also likely that you will think of more requests the longer you give yourself to think. It’s not necessary to pray for everything every time, but writing things down can help you remember to pray for things over time.