PRAYER AN EXCHANGE
Philippians 4:6-7 NLT
[6] “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. [7] Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.”
We love and often quote this Scripture but have we recognised the significance of what Paul is advocating?
‘Stress’ is a big factor in life today. Stress intrudes into every situation we face. Even taking a trip in our car involves stress. So many lawless and reckless drivers on our roads! Almost every big decision involves stress. “What if this… if I do that…” raises so many uncertainties that stress is our constant companion…if we let it.
How can we handle stress in such a way that stress no longer stresses us?
Paul said, “Exchange your stress for God’s peace.”
How do we make this exchange? Once again, prayer is the solution. Paul didn’t say, “Pray about your problems!” He did say, “Give your anxiety to God.” What’s the difference? Praying about our problems focuses on our problems. Giving God our anxiety focuses on the root of our problems, our mistrust in God.
A message from Andy Stanley (son of the great Baptist preacher, Charles Stanley), puts this prayer in perspective. “Come clean with God,” he said. Sometimes our prayers are dishonest. We tell God what we think He wants to hear. How much better to tell Him what we really feel!
Psalms 55:22 NLT
[22] “Give your burdens to the Lord, and he will take care of you. He will not permit the godly to slip and fall.”
God will not be offended if we tell Him how stressed we are about this or that situation. Offloading on Him does something amazing! He trades our anxiety for His peace!
God’s peace not only overshadows our stress, it obliterates it…removes anxiety altogether and replace it with peace.
God’s peace is a powerful force, putting a garrison of protection around our thoughts and decisions that actively engages the enemy.
Satan is always looking for an opportunity to inject mistrust and suspicion in our minds. He targets our attitude towards God. When difficult situations arise, doubt threatens to creep in. Keep thanking God. He’s in charge. Guard the peace that guards you. We guard our peace by remembering with gratitude what God has done in the past. What He did before, He will do again.
The amazing outcome of honesty with God is not only the guarantee of His own peace but also His own presence if we change the way we think. We must never forget the second part of Paul’s counsel.
Philippians 4:8-9 NLT
[8] “And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. [9] Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you.”
‘God with us’ is much more than His passive presence. He actively participates in prospering and blessing us.
Genesis 39:2 NLT
[2]”The Lord was with Joseph, so he succeeded in everything he did as he served in the home of his Egyptian master.”
Do you want God’s favour and blessing in your life? Of course you do! Then change the way you think.
Get rid of your worries. Replace anxiety with gratitude. Dump your cares on God. He will do the impossible, exchange cares for His peace and stress for rest. This is the only way-to-go that works.