Philippians 4:4-7; 1 Timothy 2:1-10, "Prayer Leads to Peace"

Would you like to have less anxiety and more peace? Would you like to change the world at the same time? Then this message is for you. We are going to learn how prayer leads to peace and changes our world.

Rejoice, Be Kind, Ask, Whatever You Do, Don’t Worry, or How Prayer Leads to Peace

But Paul doesn’t start by talking about prayer. He begins by talking about anxiety. He starts with alternatives and tell us there is a crucial reality that increases our joy and gentleness and decreases our anxiety and leads to peace.

Philippians 4:4–7 (ESV)

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone.

The Lord is at hand; 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.

Here is the crucial reality. "The Lord is at hand (end of verse 5).” He is so close you can reach out and touch Him. The Lord Jesus has made God accessible to us. He is ready to help you. You can ask Him for anything you need. So don’t be anxious. He is a shepherd who wants to lead you to still waters and green pastures. He is a loving Father who loves to give you good gifts. Bring Him your requests in prayer. As Jesus taught us, “Give us this day our daily bread.” And for some perspective, thank Him for what He has already given.

Digging a little deeper, this phrase, “The Lord is near”, also implies that His return is imminent. His plan is almost finished. We occupy these short lives until He returns. That gives us perspective. Our needs, shortcomings, and problems are temporary. The eternal future awaits when heaven and earth will be reunited and there will be peace eternally, everywhere, for everyone. So, let the peace of God guard your heart and mind in Christ Jesus here and now. Our faith, our hope, our joy, and our peace are in Jesus.

Paul says this peace surpasses all understanding. In modern English, we would say, the peace of God which blows our minds, keeps watch over my heart and mind. Just being honest, my mind and heart are like wild animals. Give me the right set of circumstances and I can be anxious, worried, depressed, scheming, planning, controlling. When I reach out to the Lord in prayer, and find Him close at hand, He surprises me with His peace. I can’t explain it fully, but I am learning that the Lord will work all things together for good.

So, Paul is telling us prayer is my means of access to the presence of the Lord to give me peace about all the things that would cause me to worry. But because my own mind and heart are wild animals, they need to be trained. A good way to do that is to pray using scripture. Let me give you some examples.

When I feel empty, I pray, “The Lord is my shepherd, I have no lack.” Psalm 23:1, if the Lord is with me, I have everything I need.

When I am troubled and in pain, I pray, “I will not lose heart. Though my outer self is wasting away, my inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for me an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison. I will look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.” 2 Corinthians 4:16-18

When my bank account is depleted, I pray, “Give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the food that is needful for me, lest I be full and deny you and say, “Who is the Lord?” or lest I be poor and steal and profane the name of my God.” Proverbs 30:8-9

When I grow discontent, I can pray, “I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” Philippians 4:1-13

These scriptures come from people who learned to rely on the presence of the Lord whenever they were tempted to give in to worry and anxiety.

Paul agrees, it is the presence of the Lord that makes all the difference, Philippians 4:7

Philippians 4:7 (ESV)

And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Anyone who believes in Jesus Christ is united with Him by faith. We are in Him and He is in us. None of us is strong enough, smart enough, or noble enough to get through life with zero anxiety. We all feel our need. We all come to the end of our rope. We all fall one time too many and think we might never get up again. But in those very moments, the Christian finds the Lord Jesus at hand. He has lived through poverty, homelessness, physical affliction and pain, betrayal and abandonment, torture and death. And He has overcome them all. He is now using those very things in His cause: to conform us to His image, which is producing an eternal weight of glory that cannot be taken away from us. Prayer is my opportunity to take Jesus’ hand and learn from Him.

If the Lord is at hand, the appropriate responses are: Rejoice in the Lord always, and let your reasonableness be known to everyone. What would the world be like if we were all more filled with words of joy and more reasonable? The word there doesn’t just mean calm and well thought out in a conversation. It means a gentle willingness to yield to others. How many of us are willing to live like that? We would get taken advantage of, and be misunderstood and misrepresented. But what if we trusted that Jesus knows what that’s like too and we can trust Him to use our gentleness as a powerful demonstration of His presence in us to others around us?

What would our world look like if Christians truly believed the Lord is at hand at all times? What if Christians worried less than everyone else? How would that impact our witness? What if we truly had peace that defies explanation, other than our Lord is with us and we can ask Him for anything.

Philippians 4:6–7 (ESV)

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.

Bringing our requests to God with thanksgiving for what He has already done brings peace within. Another letter Paul wrote picks up where this one leaves off. 1 Timothy 2:1-10. Paul adds an outward focus to the peace we experience.

Pray, Intercede, Thank, Whatever You do, Seek Peace for the Sake of the Gospel, or How Prayer Changes our World

1 Timothy 2:1–2 (ESV)

First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people,

for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.

We all know the problems our leaders are causing right now. We all should pray for them more often. But why? Paul says when we pray for people, we ask God for help (supplications), we intercede for their shortcomings, we thank God for them, for all people and for our leaders. And he says we should expect results. What are the results? That our leaders repent and start telling the truth? That our neighbors change? Maybe He will do that, but that’s not the result Paul says to expect. He says the change happens in us. We become more peaceful, quiet, godly and dignified. In verses 8-10

1 Timothy 2:8–10 (ESV)

I desire then that in every place the men should pray, lifting holy hands without anger or quarreling; likewise also that women should adorn themselves in respectable apparel,

with modesty and self-control, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly attire, but with what is proper for women who profess godliness—with good works.

he adds more holy, less angry, less quarrelsome, more modest, self-controlled, and loving.

Paul says this change in us as we pray for others is good,

1 Timothy 2:3–4 (ESV)

This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

The way people will be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth is linked with our praying for others in ways that cause us to extend the peace we have within outward in our relationships. What’s the connection? God is a peacemaker.

1 Timothy 2:5–6 (ESV)

For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time.

If we are going to effectively preach the gospel so that others are saved and know Jesus, we had better live out a demonstration of that gospel. God has made peace through Christ Jesus, who died on the cross as a ransom for all. Anyone can be reconciled to God through Jesus. If we who claim to believe this have peace with God, we are more at peace within but we can also be more at peace in our relationships.

What could be more necessary right now than the church of Jesus seeking peace, leading peaceful, godly, holy lives without anger or quarreling with anyone? Putting on the respectable attire of modesty, self-control and good works?

If you are a believer in Jesus, you have been made a priest. People in your neighborhood or school or workplace may have no one else who will pray for them, that they will have peace with God and be saved. They may have no one else that thanks God for them and blesses them with the peace of God. That’s your job and mine. It is our calling.

The Jews of Paul’s day would greet each other with a simple word that was packed with meaning. The word is “shalom”. It meant, may you have peace and wholeness and a fruitful life. Every time you greeted someone it was an opportunity to speak a blessing over them. Maybe shalom wouldn’t be taken too seriously in our culture. So, what words would you use? How can you bless someone this week to demonstrate the peace God has extended to them in Jesus?

I was at a pastor’s meeting this week. We had all the pastors of all the big churches in our area. They were talking about building caring relationships with one another so that we can effectively be on the mission of Jesus together. And I was encouraged to hear one of them define that mission. He said, we’ve all done the big smoke and light show, the big tent with bigger fireworks than the other church. That’s not what we’re doing anymore. Then he told the story of taking an opportunity to stop on his way to the office to tell his neighbor who was letting her 3-year-old “help” her with the trash can that she was a good mom. And that simple blessing spoken into her life opened a door of conversation between that neighbor and his wife about the struggles of being a mom of young kids and bless her even more.

That’s our example. What if we all did that this week? What if we all prayed in ways that we leave our problems in the hands of the Lord Jesus, who is so close He’ll receive those and will give in exchange peace that surpasses understanding? What if we all prayed for others in ways that we learned the heart of God for them and extended the gospel of peace to them in small but meaningful ways?

Communion - God has made peace with us through Jesus Christ.

Questions for Discussion

What gives you joy right now? What is leading you to worry right now?

What do we learn about God in these passages?

What is the antidote to anxiety according to this passage?

How do you practice the presence of God? How are you growing in union with Christ right now?

What kind of prayers do we pray for people and especially our leaders in ways that result in “leading a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way (1 Tim. 2:1-2)”? In what ways can we grow in being conformed to Christ through prayer?

What does 1 Timothy 2:4-6 tell us about God? How does that knowledge help us pray and live in the ways Paul says we should?

How will you respond to this passage this week?

Who is someone you can share this passage with this week?