Young People's Group

LEARNING TO PRAY IN ANXIOUS TIMES

by Pastor Mitch
October 02, 2005

Stop Being Anxious

Worrying is one of the foremost preoccupations of many in this world. And yet, it is one of those things that does not bring about any profit to anyone. It only causes people to be stressed, to be discouraged and to despair. The apostle recognised this as one of the problems that the Philippians were facing.

“Be anxious for nothing…”
Philippians 4:6

Paul challenged the brethren to cease from worrying. It was easy for the Church to be worried about problems from without and from within. There was the external problem of false teachers infiltrating the Church. There was internal contention among Christian ladies. These things could cause some people to worry. Paul was entreating them not to worry about anything at all. For students, taking exams can be a worrisome time. Our challenge is to tell ourselves to stop worrying.

Practising Prayer In The Right Manner

“But in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God…”
Philippians 4:6

Instead of worrying, we should be praying. The manner in which we pray is important. We should learn to commit everything to the Lord in prayer. Paul wrote of the need to entrust everything to God with different expressions of prayer. There are times when we will pray normally or spontaneously. There are times when we need to go deeper in prayer by supplicating for mercy and grace. We should also pray with thanksgiving. Can we go through anxious moments and still find reasons to give thanks? We can and we must. God wants us to ask in faith. He wants us to make known our requests in prayer as a demonstration of faith and trust in Him. Young people, as you prepare to take your exams, submit everything to God in prayer. Each time before we study, let’s pray for concentration and understanding. If we feel like we are going to burn out, let’s pray for strength and stamina. Before we take a paper, let’s pray for carefulness and peace of heart. Let’s learn to practise prayer in the right manner.

The Blessing Of The Lord’s Surpassing Peace

“And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”
Philippians 4:7

The use of the “And” connects this statement to the way we pray. When we pray in the right manner, there will come the blessing of His wonderful peace. This is a peace that goes beyond our understanding. It is something that the Lord will use to specially guard our hearts. We do not know how it is done, but the peace of God will rule our hearts. It will protect our mind from all kinds of anxious thoughts. Instead of anxiety, there will be calm stillness and assurance. This comes about through faith in the person of the Lord Jesus. Young people, let’s trust that the blessing of peace will come upon us as we pray. Let’s be compelled to pray even more. Let’s learn to rely on the Lord in prayer. Let’s trust that He will hear and answer our prayer.

Back to Article Listing