7.1 Key themes⤒🔗

• God is the God of peace.
• To have God’s peace, we must remember two things:
  - God is in control over everything.
  - God is near to us.
• To stop worrying, we must bring our needs (requests) to God with:
  - prayer.
  - petition.
  - thanksgiving.
• When we do this, God promises that his peace will guard our hearts and minds.

7.2 Philippians 4:4-14←⤒🔗

^4:4 Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I say, rejoice!

^4:5 Let everyone see your gentleness. The Lord is near!

^4:6 Do not be anxious about anything. Instead, in every situation, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, tell your requests to God.

^4:7 And the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

^4:8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is worthy of respect, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if something is excellent or praiseworthy, think about these things.

^4:9 And what you learned and received and heard and saw in me, do these things. And the God of peace will be with you.

^4:10 I have great joy in the Lord because now at last you have again expressed your concern for me. (Now I know you were concerned before but had no opportunity to do anything.)

^4:11 I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content in any circumstance.

^4:12 I have experienced times of need and times of abundance. In any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of contentment, whether I go satisfied or hungry, have plenty or nothing.

^4:13 I am able to do all things through the one who strengthens me.

^4:14 Nevertheless, you did well to share with me in my trouble.

© NET Bible

7.3 God is the God of peace←⤒🔗

In the book of Revelation we find two pictures of the sea. Revelation 17 describes a very stormy sea. Out of this stormy sea comes a beast (Satan). The stormy sea is the world in which we live today. It is full of chaos and destruction. But in Revelation 4 there is another picture of the sea. This sea is before the throne of God. It is so calm that it looks like glass. God has perfect peace, because he rules over everything.

Many people only see the stormy sea around them. They look at all the bad things that happen in the world. They think, God cannot be in control! But God shows us in the Bible that he is in control over everything. Even in all the bad things that happen, he is still working out his plan. Nothing takes him by surprise. That is why God is called “the God of peace” (verse 9 in the Bible passage above).

God is not only high on his throne in heaven. Our God is the Lord who is near to us (verse 5). He wants us, his children, to share in his peace!

7.4 Peace instead of worry←⤒🔗

Paul was in prison when he wrote this letter to the Philippians. But he says (verses 4 and 6), Rejoice in the Lord always! And: Do not be anxious (worry) about anything!

Paul has learned the secret to have peace instead of worry. He has learned to be content (satisfied) in every situation (verses 11-12). It does not matter if he is in prison or free, or if he has plenty or little food. He knows that the Lord is near. He knows, “I can do everything through him who gives me strength” (verse 13).

Now God is teaching us through Paul how to have God’s peace. God’s peace can be in your heart, even if the situation around you is not peaceful. To have this peace, you must first remember these two things:

1. God is in control over everything.
2. God is near to you.

7.5 Pray to the God of peace←⤒🔗

If you know that God is in control and that he is near, then your life will be a life of prayer. Instead of worrying yourself over small things or big things, you will take everything to God (verse 6). That is the way to stop worrying.

Verse 6 gives us three ways to bring our needs (requests) to God:

7.5.1. Prayer←↰⤒🔗

To pray is to tell God what is going on, and what we need from him.

7.5.2. Petition←↰⤒🔗

The word “petition” means that God wants us to ask and ask until he answers us. In petition, you come humbly to God and you beg him to act. You pray every day about this thing that worries you, until God answers your prayer. God rewards the person who prays like this (Luke 11:5-10; Luke 18:1-8).

7.5.3. Thanksgiving←↰⤒🔗

Even while we are still waiting for God to answer us, we must give him thanks. Thank him for the small ways in which he is already helping you. Thank him that nothing can stop his plan and that he is hearing your prayer.

7.6 Promises for someone who prays←⤒🔗

God is in control and he has a perfect plan with everything. But God wants to use our prayers to work out his plan. In that way, we become God’s co-workers!

God also uses our prayers to give us peace. If you bring your needs and your worries to God with prayer, petition, and thanksgiving, then God gives you this promise: his peace will guard your heart and mind. It is a peace that “transcends understanding” — in other words, it is too great for us to understand. It is peace which comes from your relationship with Jesus Christ (verse 7).

When the peace of God is in your heart, you will also live peacefully with other people. In verse 5 we read, “Let your gentleness be evident to all.” Gentleness means to treat others in a soft, friendly way. In this way, the peace of God becomes clear for everyone to see in your life.

When you are worried, your heart becomes like a stormy sea. But when you pray, God brings peace in that storm. Trust in God and bring everything to him in prayer. He is the God of peace, who promises to give you his peace.