Philippians - Prayer & Peace

Last week we looked at the first few verses of chapter 4 and dealt with conflict. Today we are dealing with Prayer.

Let’s read together:

Philippians 4:4-7 (NLT2) 

4  Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice! 5  Let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do. Remember, the Lord is coming soon. 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. 

First, understand from this passage that “Asking God for things” is His idea! And…

GOD INVITES YOU TO ASK ANYTHING

Philippians 4:6 (NLT2) 

6  Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.

I grew up in a dysfunctional home. My dad was an alcoholic with a terrible temper. When I would ask him for something, I would usually get yelled at.

“You don’t take care of what you have now.”

“You freaking kids are driving me up a wall.”

When I asked for something, it always seemed to bother him. But you don’t bother God when you ask him for anything.  You do not burden God by asking him to meet the needs in your life. God thinks the world of you. He loves the sound of your voice. He loves it when you tell him what you need and when you thank Him for what he has already done. And, God does not want you to worry.

As he is chained up between two prison guards, under house arrest, Paul tells the Philippians believers not to worry about anything. If anybody had problems to worry about, it was Paul! He didn’t know how long he would be under house arrest. He couldn’t get outside the house to earn any money for his food or apartment. But Paul understood that God invited him to pray about everything rather than worry. 

Throughout the Bible, God tells us over and over again not to worry:

1 Peter 5:7 (NLT2) 

7  Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you. 

John 14:1 (NLT2) 

1  “Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me.

John 14:27 (NLT2) 

27  “I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid. 

Over 365 times in the Bible God tells his people not to be afraid and not to worry.

Do you know why? Because we worry! I know there are so many things going on in your life for you to worry about.

Maybe you worry that you aren’t doing a good job parenting your kids.

Maybe you worry that the lab results from last week are going to indicate you have cancer.

Maybe you worry that your child is getting bullied at school…or bullying somebody.

Maybe you are worried your child is spending too much time on devices.

Maybe you are worried you didn’t start early enough to save for retirement.

Maybe you are worried about how you will make ends meet every month.

Maybe you are worried about finding a future husband or wife.

But God doesn’t want you to worry about one single thing.  Rather, he invites you to ask him for anything. You can write down the list of things you worry about in your life, then turn that into your prayer list and watch God begin to meet your needs and answer your prayers.  As he answers your prayers, thank Him for what he does in your life. And God makes a very special promise to us in Philippians 4:7.

Philippians 4:7 (NLT2) 

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. 

This is one of the most amazing promises we have been given in scripture…As a Pastor, I can tell you PEACE is the number one thing people seek. 

PEACE is what people hunger and crave.

If you are single, you want PEACE.

If you are a parent, you want PEACE.

If you are overwhelmed, discouraged, or abandoned – you want PEACE.

And every one of us can leave today with PEACE that exceeds anything we understand.

Because…

WHEN WE ASK, WE EXPERIENCE PEACE

This is a PROMISE.  Remember, If you read and apply God’s Word He will change your life.  

God wants you to experience peace. When our children were younger and upset, crying, worried, or frightened, I was always amazed when they climbed into our laps and we held them, how much they calmed down. Our presence, our touch, brought them peace. God is your Heavenly Father who wants you to have peace when you are troubled. God knows the impact of sin in our lives.  He understands the pain that was brought into the world because of sin.  He knows we get troubled by disease, diagnosis, and death. He knows we worry about our future and the future of our children.

Because he is a GOOD parent, he wants to bless you with PEACE.

And, because he is a GOOD parent, that may be the reason why he hasn’t given you what you have asked for from Him. It’s not because he doesn’t love you that he hasn’t given you what you have asked; it is because he knows what will happen to you if he lets you win the Mega-Million Lottery.

And whether God provided it to you or not, He still gave you peace. And that peace He gave let you make it through the storm. That’s because God is a GOOD Dad and a GOOD GOD.

Listen to the words of Jesus from Matthew:

Matthew 7:9-11 (NLT2) 

9  “You parents—if your children ask for a loaf of bread, do you give them a stone instead? 10  Or if they ask for a fish, do you give them a snake? Of course not! 11  So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him.

If your child was hungry and asked for something to eat, would you give him a rock?

If your child wanted a pet, would you give him a rattlesnake?

Only if we were bad parents.  

And, the things you ask for that you think are good for you may actually cause harm for you in the long run. God will only give what you ask for if it will be good for you.  He sees the big picture.  He saw you before you drew your first breath of air after you were born, and he knows when you will take your last breath. He sees your beginning and end, and he knows how to bless you in between.

 Psalm 139:16 (NLT2) 

16  You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed. 

God is not like a bad dad.  He wants to bless his children.  God is sinless – and even more than you or I could ever comprehend…

GOD KNOWS HOW TO BLESS BETTER THAN YOU!

We think we know what is best for us all the time.

I do.

I ask God for the things I think are best for me and for my family.

I ask God to heal my children of disease.  

He hasn’t yet.  

So.

I trust his character.  I trust that he knows how to bless better than me.  I trust that since God has seen their beginning and end, Type One Diabetes is part of his plan to BLESS them because He is not going to give anything that will harm them, including taking away this disease. But, I haven’t always understood why God says, “No.”

Kristy and I struggled for 6 years with infertility.  Then, when she finally became pregnant, our hearts erupted with joy.  Seriously, my chest swelled up with pride.  The happiness and excitement I felt could not be expressed. Then, ten weeks into her first trimester…the spotted bleeding began.

I began praying, “God, please. Let our baby live!”

But a few days later, we drove home from the hospital after our baby died. I sang and worshipped, but I was so hurt that God did not answer my prayer and give me what I wanted. 

Then, about a year later, Kristy became pregnant again, and I held my spiritual breath.  I couldn’t talk to God.  I was afraid to ask him to let this baby be born.  I didn’t want to experience the same joy and pride I felt with our first pregnancy.

And then, God blessed.

On November 5, 2007, God gave us the most beautiful baby I had ever seen up until that point in my life.  He blessed us with our firstborn daughter, Sofia Lynn. And then he blessed us with Naomi in 2009. And he blessed us with Violet in 2011. And he blessed us with Jessie in 2013.

And then, we bought a TV for the bedroom and stopped having children.

But sometimes, when God does not give us what we ask for, we are like children; we throw a temper tantrum and say, “Fine – I’m not talking to you.”  

We stop praying.  

We stop going to church. 

We hold our spiritual breath.

We shut ourselves off from him.  We say things like, “I tried that church thing…”

But maybe, just maybe, we didn’t try that friendship with Jesus. PRAYER is a relationship where the BATTLE FOR OUR FAITH is fought. Prayer will transform our lives because it keeps us in a relationship with Jesus. If we persist in our prayer lives – even when we do not get our way, God will BLESS us with PEACE that surpasses all understanding.  

As I close, here is what God’s BLESSING may look like from a child’s perspective. Imagine a kid who loves their tablet or gaming console. They're obsessed with the bright screen, the fun apps, the games. They think it’s the best thing ever, and all they talk about is playing on that device. 

One day, the parents say, “We’re going to take you on a special trip — to a national park with mountains, rivers, and endless space to explore.” But the child gets mad, throws a fit, and says, "I want to stay home and play on my tablet!"

The parents decide to take the kid to the national park anyway. As soon as they arrive, the kid’s attitude changes. They forget all about the tablet and are amazed by the beauty and adventure around them. You and I are like that kid sometimes. We think we know what’s best for us. We get comfortable with the small things we know. But God is trying to take us somewhere bigger and better, offering something greater than what we can see.

Are you trusting God to bless you with something better, or are you holding onto what feels comfortable and familiar, missing the adventure He has in store for you? Jesus taught us to pray, “Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done.”  It is time to allow God to change your desires.  

Today, will you ask for HIS blessings instead of yours?