…do not be anxious about anything, 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 your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6,7 ESV)
Fear Not… Then Pray
I used to collect stamps. For many years, I added to my collection. I made purchases, carefully mounted stamps in collection books, and searched for more stamps that my collection lacked.
At one point, a friend asked me how much money my collection was worth. I had a few rare stamps, some painstakingly complete sets, and a lot of stamps that I had just found interesting. But I had no idea how much the collection was worth, monetarily.
That was not why I collected stamps.
Perhaps we consider prayer in that way. It might seem that we pray to get help in a particular situation. It might seem that we pray to receive help. It might seem that we pray to accomplish a goal. It might seem that we pray because we have needs.
And prayer does have to do with all of those things.
But Paul points out a better reason to pray.
We pray so that we will receive peace. Not merely logical peace because we understand God’s actions, but a supernatural peace. A peace that comes from relationship with Jesus. A peace that comes from knowing Him because we converse with Him. A peace that comes from trusting.
Fear not, then pray.