Philippians 4:6-7 (CSB) – Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
Are the pressures of the week already starting to pile up? For some, it may be a deadline at work. For others, it’s bills, family concerns, or worries about the future. And for many, the constant stream of troubling news in our world stirs fear and uncertainty.
Worry is powerful. It can steal sleep, weaken faith, and choke out joy. Jesus warned about this in Matthew 6:27: “Can any of you add one moment to his life span by worrying?” Worry changes nothing except our own strength. But prayer changes everything.
Paul gives us the alternative: “In everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” Notice those words in everything. There is no burden too small or too large to bring before Him. And thanksgiving is part of it too, because remembering God’s faithfulness yesterday strengthens our trust today.
When we do this, God promises peace. Not a fragile calm that vanishes when circumstances shift, but “the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding.” This peace doesn’t always explain the “why” of our suffering, but it anchors us in the “Who,” i.e., the God who loves us and will not forsake us.
Jesus echoed this in John 14:27: “Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Don’t let your heart be troubled or fearful.” The world’s peace is temporary: vacations end, distractions fade, circumstances change. But the peace of Christ endures even in the storm.
Isaiah described it this way: “You will keep the mind that is dependent on you in perfect peace, for it is trusting in you” (Isaiah 26:3). Peace is the fruit of a mind fixed on God. And Paul adds in Colossians 3:15: “Let the peace of Christ, to which you were also called in one body, rule your hearts.” Peace is not passive. Instead, it actively rules, like an umpire, deciding which thoughts and emotions get to stay.
Think of the disciples in the boat during the storm in Mark 4:39-40. Jesus stood and rebuked the wind and waves: “Silence! Be still!” The sea calmed instantly. But then He turned to His disciples and asked, “Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?” His point? Peace was already available, not because of calmer waters, but because He was in the boat.
So today, when anxiety rises:
Stop and pray. Name your worry before God.
Thank Him for His past faithfulness.
Trust Him to guard your heart with His peace.
Remember: peace is not the absence of trouble. It is the presence of Christ. And He has promised never to leave you or abandon you (Hebrews 13:5).
