Philippians 4:6-7

 Philippians 4:6-7
 ⁶ Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. ⁷ Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

I love this passage.  So much so that I've written it down on a (neon yellow) index card that sits on my desk.  It's a constant reminder that worrying is futile.  Prayer is the answer.  I glanced over today for my daily reminder and two things struck me. 

I've been missing a step in the process this whole time.  Instead of worrying, we're called to pray.  We're called to cry out to God with our requests and needs, but we're also directed to thank God for all that He has done.  Wups.  I'm pretty sure that my worry-directed prayers aren't including "thanks for..." sections.  Time to revise those prayers.

Additionally, I'm inextricably drawn to the word "peace" or just the concept thereof.  Since last week after sharing this passage, I've found myself drawn to the second sentence of verse 7.  "His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus."  Specifically the word "guard".  It's an action word-- not a passive "watch", but a vigilant protection.  His peace will guard... It's interesting to me that it doesn't say "He will guard..." that's what I would expect to read.  It definitely says that His peace will guard.  I'm not a "Bible scholar", but I think he's talking about the Holy Spirit here.  Holy Spirit = peace = guarding our hearts and minds.

"Before Jesus, we were not allowed to be in the presence of God. But, through Jesus' sacrifice, our peace with God was purchased. In addition to Jesus' death buying you peace with God, it also serves as a cleansing sacrifice to allow you into the presence of the Lord.  With the Holy Spirit now living inside of you, you are able to experience the peace of God.  This is the kind of peace that the Fruit of the Holy Spirit manifests." from Hem of His Garment Bible Study 

It's funny how you can read something a million times and have completely new insights still appear.  I love that about scripture.