Kayla’s brow furrowed as she shoved yet another slip of paper into an overstuffed box labeled “Give It to God” on all four sides. Sighing deeply, she sifted through the written prayers she had previously placed in the box. “I read them out loud almost every day,” she said to her friend. “How can I be sure God hears me?” Chantel handed Kayla her Bible. “By trusting that God keeps His word,” she said, “and letting go every time you write or read a prayer you’ve released into His hands.”
The apostle Paul urged believers in Jesus to “rejoice in the Lord” and gave good reason to do so by affirming, “The Lord is near” (Philippians 4:4-5). He encouraged God’s people to trade anxious thoughts for faith-filled prayers, to believe He receives every request, and to praise Him while resting in the unfathomable peace of His never-ending presence (vv. 6-7).
The Prince of Peace—Jesus—guards our emotional and mental well-being when we turn our thoughts toward qualities that point to Him, things that are “true,” “right,” “pure,” and “praiseworthy” (v. 8).
The peace of God protects us when we trust that the God of peace is with us. Liberated from the burden of clinging to concerns, we can experience peace in the release of every prayer into God’s trustworthy hands.
How has God used Scripture to help you trust that He hears your prayers? What concerns have you been clinging to instead of giving them to God in prayer?
Dear God, thank You for being my peace whenever I release my worries into Your hands.
Discover more lessons on your relationship with God through prayer.
Philippians is one of the Prison Epistles (along with Ephesians, Colossians, and Philemon) that Paul wrote while in prison. The letter to the Philippians is often referred to as the “joy letter” because of the apostle’s repeated emphasis on our joy in Christ. That’s striking by itself but made even more significant when we remember that he wrote this letter while in custody (1:12-14). He not only reflected on the joy we have in Jesus but also on what it means to have peace in Christ—even while in prison. This powerful truth can speak into whatever circumstances we might be facing. For some, that literally means being imprisoned. But regardless of our situation, Jesus is profoundly at work in our lives and the fruit the Spirit produces is joy and peace.
