Calming Answers

Be anxious for nothing, but by thankful prayer and supplication in everything, let God know your requests. Then the peace of God, which exceeds all human cunning, will keep your hearts and thoughts in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7

Answered prayer provides more peace to the anxious heart than power, prudence or proficiency. As powerful as we might be, we can never be sure we exerted enough effort to secure our future. As prudent as we might be, we can’t be sure we considered every contingency sufficiently. As proficient as we might be, we cannot always be sure we did everything with exacting correctness. So our anxiety remains if we don’t pray. Since God is absolutely powerful, prudent, and proficient, his answer to our call for help in any situation will give us the certainty we need to banish anxiety. Answered prayer is how God keeps us assured of the eternal joy secured in Jesus, because Jesus is the way we gain access to the Father. He loves the name the Son earned. He honors the Son by granting the petitions we make with reference to what he did for us on the cross. Then we become more convinced of how worthy Jesus is of our absolute and exclusive trust and commitment.

Thank you, Father, for the encouraging promise of answered prayer. Never let me forget how eager you are to rid me of my self-centered fear and fill me with the calm joy of worship.