“Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” (vv. 6-7)

When you followed the instructions…

When you carried everything to the Lord in prayer…

When you rejoiced and trusted and submitted in worship…

…what did you expect to receive?

I think a lot of us expect…well…what we expect. We expect an answer. Specifically, we expect an answer to the needs we brought, which would be an answer that satisfies those needs.

We expect that, when we pray, we’ll be given what we asked for.

But that’s not what the Word promises.

Do those kinds of answers come? Undoubtedly. God knows how to give good gifts, encourages you to pray for those good gifts, and assures us that the gifts He gives will be the gifts that are for our good.

Yet there is a sweeter truth still:

God, when we pray and trust and submit, gives us peace.

A peace beyond worldly reckoning.

A peace deeper than what anything we desire might meet.

A peace that surpasses.

That’s the answer to every prayer: God will secure you with peace. And that’s better than whatever it is we thought we wanted.

— Tyler