How to Find Peace Through Prayer
The rhythmic breathing of my husband next to me told me he was in a deep sleep. I envied him as I lay there staring into the darkness. I turned over again and pumped up the pillow, hoping this would help me relax and drift off. I resisted the urge to check the time on my phone, or read any notifications that had come in since I went to bed. Stimulating the mind is the worst thing, so the experts say, for inducing sleep. However, I knew the root cause of my insomnia, and it wasn’t Facebook trivia or text messages keeping me awake. My mind kept running over one problem after another like a long shopping list.
“God, help me …” I turned to my heavenly Father for what seemed like the tenth time. If I channeled my despair into prayer like the Bible instructs us —Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition...present your requests to God. And the peace of God...will guard your hearts and your minds (Philippians 4:7) — surely sleep would come.
As the light of dawn began to seep through the blinds, I wondered why my plan wasn’t working.
Prayer should be the solution. If we talk to God about what’s making us anxious, the Bible says we will feel at peace, even if it doesn’t make sense considering the situation we’re in.
Since that night and many others like it, I’ve realized there is something I’ve missed in that passage about the way I should be praying. Something I hadn’t noticed before, but I now add to my practice of prayer that makes a huge difference to feeling at peace in the middle of distress and brings instant relief to my insomnia.
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 emphasis mine)
With thanksgiving leads me to consider two questions:
1. Why specifically should we express our gratitude to God in the middle of our anxiety?
The verse prior to Philippians 4:6-7 gives us a clue.
The Lord is near says Philippians 4:5. Isn’t that comforting?
When we feel alone in the darkness and that we’re bearing our burdens on our own, we can be reassured that The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit (Psalm 34:18). When we cry out for help to God, we can be thankful that: The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth. (Psalm 145:18)
In the middle of our requests and cries we can thank God for listening, that He is close by, and that His help is always present at the same time as expressing our fears and worries because these reassurances will give us the peace, and sleep, we need.
Just as the Psalmist in Psalm 4 begins his prayer with: Answer me when I call to you, my righteous God. Give me relief from my distress; have mercy on me and hear my prayer and finishes with praise: in peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, Lord, make me dwell in safety, you too can use these words as your reason why.
2. How should we express our gratitude to God when we’re overcome with worry?
The verse following Philippians 4:6-7 gives us the instruction we need: Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Philippians 4:8
When we’re talking to God in the middle of the night about whatever is troubling us, we should also turn our minds to praise Him for His greatness, love, strength, wisdom, grace and His protection and compassion.
To find peace beyond understanding, and to sleep like a baby, we should shift our minds from our worries to focusing on what is excellent and praiseworthy — God who is near us and whose goodness and greatness is ginormous in relation to the size of our problems.
Verses to Pray for Peace
Next time you are awake at night and can’t sleep, or even if you find yourself worrying during the day, use these scriptures — I have adapted them for you — to think on what is true, pure, lovely and praiseworthy, and give thanks and praise to God:
I praise you, God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, for You are the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts me in all my troubles. (2 Corinthians 1:3-4a)
God, I give You praise because Your unfailing love is priceless! I thank You I can take refuge in the shadow of Your wings. (Psalm 36:7)
But I will sing of Your strength. In the morning I will sing of Your love; for You are my fortress, my refuge in times of trouble. You are my strength. I sing praise because You are my God on whom I can rely. (Psalm 59:16-17)
I lift up my eyes to the mountains—where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. I praise You because You will not let my foot slip—I praise You because You watch over me and will not slumber… I give You thanks Lord because You are my shade at my right hand. Thank You, Lord, because You keep me from all harm— You will watch over my life; You, Lord, watch over my coming and going both now and forevermore. (Psalm 121:1-8)
Rachel Britton is a British-born writer, author, and speaker whose passion is to help women become comfortable and confident in their conversation with God. Her blog “Praying Naturally” offers an extensive library of free prayer resources to help you deepen and develop your prayer life. Sign up to receive her latest resource: 24 Days to Feel Connected & Cared For - a prayer toolkit and fun activities for when you’re missing social interactions with family and friends. Rachel is a wife and mom to three young adults. She cannot live without a mug of English tea. Connect with Rachel on Facebook