Prescription For Peace

Scripture Reading: Ephesians 1:15-23

Today's Treasure: "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" (Philippians 4:6-7).

You are probably familiar with Philippians 4:6-7: "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."

I decided that to bring home the impact of the verses I would have a little fun and paraphrase the passage from a negative standpoint. In other words, I turned this prescription for peace into a no-fail prescription for anxiety. My result looked like this: "Do not be calm about anything, but in everything, by dwelling on it constantly and feeling picked on by God, with thoughts like 'and this is the thanks I get,' present your aggravations to everyone you know but Him. And the acid in your stomach, which transcends all milk products, will cause you an ulcer, and the doctor bills will cause you a heart attack and you will lose your mind."

Without a doubt, avoiding prayer is a sure prescription for anxiety, a certain way to avoid peace. To experience the kind of peace that covers all circumstances, the Bible challenges us to develop active, authentic (what I like to call "meaty") prayer lives. Prayer with real substance to it—original thoughts flowing from a highly individualized heart, personal and intimate. Often, we do everything but pray. We tend to want something more "substantial." Even studying the Bible, going to church, talking to the pastor, or receiving counsel seems more tangible than prayer.

What victory the enemy has in winning us over to prayerlessness! He would rather we do anything than pray. He'd rather see us serve ourselves into the ground, because he knows we'll eventually grow resentful without prayer. He'd rather see us study the Bible into the wee hours of the morning, because he knows we'll never have a deep understanding and power to live what we've learned without prayer. He knows prayerless lives are powerless lives, while prayerful lives are powerful lives!

In Ephesians 1, Paul named specific blessings that can come through prayer. He prayed that his spiritual offspring would receive "the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better" (v.17). He asked God to open the eyes of their hearts so they could "know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe" (vv.18-19). The better we know God (v.17), the more we trust Him. The more we trust Him, the more we sense His peace when the wintry winds blow against us.

At the grocery store recently I was amused by the label on a lotion that claimed it was an effective stress reliever. I could hear a baby screaming on the next aisle. I had a brief impulse to offer the lotion to the poor mom pushing the cranky cargo. I was too afraid I might get a little stress reliever thrown on my face. You see, this world can't seem to come up with a real, lasting solution to the stresses and strains of life.

A few days ago I again saw the best advice the world seems to have: "Just remember two things: (1) Don't sweat the small stuff. (2) It's all small stuff." That advice is so shallow. It's not all small stuff. I have a friend whose son was paralyzed in an accident his senior year in high school. I pray almost daily for a list of people, from age four to seventy-four, who are battling cancer. Two recently came off my list and into heaven. My precious friend's husband, an honest, hardworking believer with a son in college, just lost his job—again. Not long ago, three tornadoes whipped through my hometown—stealing, killing, and destroying. No, it's not all small stuff.

Worldly philosophy is forced to minimize difficulty because it has no real answers. You and I know better than the small-stuff philosophy. We face a lot of big stuff out there. Only through prayer are we washed in peace.

Lord, there are issues in my life that have caused me untold anxiety and grief. I've done everything I could think of to get peace, except the one thing I knew all along would help me. My frenzied mind has led me astray from the stillness and focus I need to pray. I confess the sin of prayerlessness and ask Your forgiveness. Instead of being anxious, help me present my requests to You in prayer and petition, with thanksgiving. According to Your Word, please guard my heart and mind with Your peace, which transcends all understanding. Thank You, God, for Your great patience, love and comfort. In the name of Jesus, Amen.

Adapted from Breaking Free, by Beth Moore, pages 71-72. Nashville: Broadman & Holman, 2000. Used by permission.