The Correlation Between Prayer and Peace

By Danny Saavedra

“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”—Philippians 4:6–7 (NKJV)

Merimnate: To be overly anxious, distracted, and pulled apart;  to fall to pieces; sinful worry; to be troubled with cares.

In life, there will always be things to worry about, things that cause anxiety. There is no shortage of troubles in this world. And despite the English translation of this verse, Paul did not tell the Philippians that they were prohibited to care about worldly matters, that they couldn’t be concerned with things like providing for their families, preserving their property, or any trial they may be experiencing. Instead, what the Greek word (merimnate) expresses is that one should not be so overly anxious that they fall apart, become utterly consumed by their cares to the point where it becomes sinful. How does it become sinful? Because this level of anxiety implies a lack of faith and confidence in the Lord and demonstrates a high degree of self-centeredness and self-absorption. 

Here, Paul is saying that we can be free from the unbelievably heavy burden of worry and anxiety, that we can experience the kind of confidence in God that frees our minds from the clutches of anxiety and develops in us such a level of dependence on Christ that His peace sweeps over us. The key to experiencing this peace and confidence is prayer—praying in faith with passion and sincerity. 

When we immerse ourselves in prayer instead of our cares; when we genuinely pray for God’s sovereign will instead of ours and have a sincere, thankful heart, then His Spirit can work in us to free us from worry.  And as we do this, as we pray “in everything,” He will give us a peace that goes beyond comprehension, a peace we cannot find anywhere else.  And that peace will sweep over us, it will comfort our hearts and give us supernatural confidence and steadiness we never thought possible because it comes through the Spirit of the One who raised Christ from the dead.

As a man who had experienced more troubles than most people can ever fathom, Paul’s words carried serious weight and credibility. There is no doubt he spoke from experience.  And yet, despite everything, the apostle was completely at peace.  And it’s a peace even he, a highly educated, logical, intelligent man who had studied the Scriptures his whole life couldn’t comprehend. His prayer life and connection to the Spirit gave him confidence in God that transcended any and all circumstances. He knew beyond any doubt that God’s plan is perfect and good.

The peace of God through Jesus guarded and guided Paul’s heart. He wasn’t worried because he had the peace of God, which he received through prayer, and we can have the same thing. 

DIG: What was Paul’s prescription for worry?

DISCOVER: What are you anxious about and why? How does prayer make a difference in your life?