Prayer Connection: October 2023
HEADER: Peace through prayer? Our daily lives are woven with moments of joy, glimpses of beauty, and sometimes a dose of anxiety. How can we experience peace when we are anxious?
INSIDE:
We read in Paul's Letter to the Philippians (4:4-7):
4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! It is so important to express joy that Paul repeats it! Experience joy and wonder in the little things in life – a sunset, a baby’s smile, watching tadpoles emerge during the monsoon. God’s creation is amazing!
5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Be gentle to everyone, and that includes yourself. Our God is Emmanuel, God-With-Us. Even when we don’t feel God (and perhaps especially then), God is with us. We can trust in God. We can rest in God and lean on God.
6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. Notice how thanksgiving is woven into our prayer time? When I thank God for what God has already done, I move beyond my present moment, and begin to see and feel the scope of God’s power and presence. I can trust God in every situation.
7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Thankfully, God’s peace does not depend on our human understanding of a situation or of His working in our lives. God’s peace guards our hearts and our minds in an ongoing process: When I feel anxious, I present my requests to God with thanksgiving, and God’s peace slowly fills my life, one moment at a time. When anxiety returns, I breathe a short prayer again. Beyond my understanding, this act draws me deeper into God’s presence, and offers calmness, peace, and rest from anxiety. Thank you, Lord. I trust in You, I rest in You. God, You are with us, with me.
Please know that the Lord of Grace Prayer Team continues to pray over all prayer petitions sent our way, including the requests entered in the prayer journal in the narthex. The Team will also continue to offer individual prayer times after each worship service on the 4th Sunday of each month. We strongly believe in the power of prayer and that a continual connection with our God will keep us all closer to Him. Remember, God can bring the peace you seek. Seek Him in prayer.