Week 45 | My God: Relationship—Prayer

Philippians 4:6-7 NIV
6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Inspiration
1. By prayer, we can draw near to God through Jesus Christ.
2. By prayer, we can unload our burdens to God.
3. By Prayer, we can bring our petitions to God through Jesus Christ.
4. By Prayer, we can offer our thanks to God through Jesus Christ.
5. By Prayer, we can present our requests to God through Jesus Christ.
6. By Prayer, we can receive inner peace and tranquility in Christ.
7. By our daily prayers, we can have tranquility in Christ.

Action
1. Now that the door is open for us in Christ to pray, let us draw near to God.
2. Let us unload our burdens to God through Christ.
3. Let us bring to God our specific needs. God is our loving Father who is so concerned with our daily needs.
4. Let us have the attitude of thanksgiving.
5. Let us feel free to request other things beyond our needs.
6. Let us receive the peace of God.
7. Let us maintain our peace and tranquility.

Reflection
1. We find here that prayer is the antidote for anxiety
2. This is why Christ is central in prayer.
3. Asking God’s help through prayer is not a weakness, as some atheists have thought.
4. Thanksgiving is the right attitude in prayer. Instead of being anxious, which is a negative attitude that indicates doubt or unbelief, we turn to thanksgiving. This is the positive attitude that indicates faith and trust in God. We thank God for making a way when there seems to be no way; we thank God for His grace and mercy that help us in times of need.
5. Requests may come in the form of intercession or a prayer for the sake of others. This is different from mediation, which is only available in Christ.
6. The peace of God is supreme. May mga nagtuturo ng mental discipline to obtain inner peace and tranquility, ngunit may higit ang kapayapaan na ibinibigay ng Diyos kapag tayo ay nananalangin sa Kaniya. Sa mental discipline, ang ginagamit ay positive thinking, which is just one aspect or one side of the truth. This is weak because, by focusing on only the positive aspect of the situation, we could not see how the negative aspect of the problem can bring something good out of it. But the peace of God embraces both the positive and the negative aspects of a situation and gives us the tranquility that can exceed our human understanding.
7. The peace of God through prayer is available in Christ alone. It is not available through other means or from another source