The Path to Perfect Peace – Trust in Turmoil: Prayer and Petition

Key Verse

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:6-7 (NIV)

Short Reflection

Have you every petitioned someone for something? Perhaps there is an issue of justice you are passionate about. (I hope there is given the current state of our world!) A petition is a request for something to change, and change for the better.

How intriguing it is that Paul calls us in our anxious moments to come to God not only in prayer, but petition. Prayer makes sense. Just communicating with God in times of anxiety by having a conversation with Him brings peace. Petitioning an earthly authority may also make sense. Perhaps our angle or passion on an issue of justice will open the eyes of those who can do something about it and good change can come. But to petition God? I can already hear the thunder and coming lightening bolts! Who are we to petition God?

And yet that’s exactly what we are called to do in our anxious moments. Just lay it out before God. Don’t hold anything back. Whether it’s a more personal issue that is fueling your anxiety or a more public issue related to your passion for justice, God loves it when we march right into His magnificent presence and present our requests. God may send us away from our time with Him with a different angle on the issue than that with which we entered His presence. Doing so may put us (and those around us!) on the Path to Perfect Peace. But He may also say “You’re right, dear child. Let’s go do something about that!”

So, go ahead. Petition God. It will be a huge step forward in learning to Trust in Turmoil, and you will have made great progress on your Path to Perfect Peace.

This is the third in the “Trust in Turmoil” series of blog posts.