(Phil 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 your minds in Christ Jesus.
This morning we continue our series entitled, “Re-Energizing Your Prayer Life.” Next week I am going to give you a recap of this series and then we will close it out and move on. As I prayed about what to teach on this morning, after much deliberation, I was led to the peace of God. Having peace with God deals with the condition of your relationship with the Father (whether or not you have accepted Jesus as Lord). However, having the peace of God deals with the internal condition of your heart, and this is very important while you are in the space between your prayer and the performance of it. I have already taught you that you must remain in-faith while you are waiting on God to physically manifest (in your hand) what you have already prayed for and received by faith (in your heart). This is where the peace of God comes in. If you maintain your peace you will be able to wait and remain in-faith, no matter how long it takes.
In our text Paul writes to the church at Philippi from a place where the peace of God was required. Paul was in jail, but he still had enough peace (internally) to be able to focus on others. Paul was being persecuted for the cause of Christ and so were many others in his time. In the midst of the persecution Paul told believers in Philippi not to be anxious about anything, but rather to invoke the power of God in their lives through the vehicle of prayer. The word anxious here is also translated worry. In other words, Paul was telling them not to worry about anything, but rather to take their concerns to the Lord in prayer. Prayer puts us in the offensive. Prayer enables us to trouble our trouble. Prayer releases the Hand of God over our situation. As we have learned, prayer is earthly license for heavenly interference.
Once we pray, once we release the Hand of God, once we know that we have invoked the presence of God to be made manifest in our situation, then Paul says that the peace of God would guard our hearts and our minds in Christ Jesus. Let’s take a closer look at this peace:
1. It passes all comprehension: This peace cannot be figured out. This is not a human peace, but rather supernatural peace. People cannot figure out how believers can seem so at peace in the midst of circumstances that bring others to their knees. For the believer, this is not something we need to try and figure out; all we need to do is receive this peace by faith! We can receive a supernatural peace that passes all understanding!
2. It can guard our heart and mind: The word translated “guard” here is a military term. It literally means to pull guard duty. It is like the peace of God pulls shift around our heart and our mind to ensure that we don’t slip into the grips of worry, fear, doubt, and unbelief. This peace enables us to enjoy the inner confidence that God will see us through, no matter how difficult the situation may seem.
So what does this mean to you today? It means that there is a peace available to you that baffles psychologists and psychiatrists. There is a peace that cannot be figured out. There is a peace that passes all comprehension and this peace is accessed through the vehicle of prayer. God wants us to pray, in accordance with His Word (which is His will), and He wants us to have so much confidence that walk away from the prayer session with an inner peace that cannot be penetrated.
Closing Confession: Father, I thank You for giving me the right to come boldly before Your throne in the name of Your Son Jesus. I pray to You, in accordance with Your Word, free of all malice, bitterness, unforgiveness, and strife in my heart, fully believing to receive what I pray for. As I pray I welcome You to get involved in my life and I walk away from my prayer closet with Your peace; a supernatural peace that passes all understanding. Your peace enables me to rest in the space between the prayer and the performance, the space between my confession and the completion. I have the peace of God and this supernatural peace is pulling guard duty around my heart and my mind. With this peace on guard duty I am able to resist fear, doubt, and unbelief. I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name. Amen!
This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper!
