The Power of Prayer
Prayer is powerful because of who is listening, not because of who is speaking or what they’re saying. You get to pray to your Father, the powerful God who wants you to embrace His love today.
The Lord’s Prayer begins by addressing “our Father in heaven.” A Father who holds all power and authority. A Father who loves you greatly. Unlike earthly fathers, our heavenly Father loves us perfectly—Jesus’ nail-scarred hands prove the depth of His love for us.
In this passage, Christ teaches us how to approach our loving Father in prayer: fixing our eyes on His eternal kingdom, not our temporary one. He tells us to go to God, not the world, with our daily needs. Jesus shows us how to drop the weights of sin and unforgiveness. He encourages us to be controlled by the power of God, rather than evil.
The Lord’s Prayer invites God’s influence to take root in us, guiding our hearts into right relationship with the Lord and welcoming His authority into our lives while rejecting worldly power.
Don’t run from it. Seek Him through prayer, allowing Him to guide you and carry your burdens. He might not work in ways you fully understand, but you will walk lighter knowing He hears you, and He’s fighting for you.
Peace That Stays
Everyone wants peace. In the world, in our homes, and in our hearts. In difficult times, we seek comfort. In heartbreaking moments, we want a peace that remains steady despite the circumstances.
The Bible teaches about this kind of peace. Philippians 4:7 describes the peace of God. No amount of self-talk or meditation can manufacture this kind of peace—it only can come from God Himself. Preacher and theologian Charles Spurgeon described this kind of peace as the perfect calm and happiness of God, who is always content.
This peace transcends all understanding. It's the idea that something goes beyond our normal way of thinking. That is a beautiful description of what God’s peace does. It exceeds our understanding and surpasses anything we could expect or imagine. It also guards and protects our hearts and minds.
How do we get this kind of peace? The surrounding verses in Philippians offer guidance. Philippians 4:6 tells us to take every anxious thought and turn it into a ...