Make Me a Person of Peace: A Prayer Based on Philippians 4

by Katy Kauffman

How often does life try to steal your peace? A surprise storm, someone’s thoughtless comment, traffic. A chronic struggle, a chronic illness. Past memories, past regrets. We need God’s peace for our hearts and minds.

Philippians Chapter 4 shows how to be a person of peace. The chapter begins with standing fast in the Lord and ends with depending on God to supply all our needs. In the middle, we find the famous verses:

“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” (Phil 4:6-7 NKJV)

“Guard”—I didn’t realize how wonderful this word was until I looked up its definition in the Online Bible software. It means “to prevent hostile invasion.”¹ God’s peace protects from our minds from invading thoughts and our hearts from hostile influences.

If I take my anxieties to God, ask for His help, and leave my requests with Him (not picking them up again to carry as a burden), peace will come. And not just a peace that looks like a quiet lake scene. A peace that’s a shield.

May we run to God for His mind-protecting, heart-defending peace. May this prayer be our own heartbeat and default setting.

Dear God,

You can handle anything—our conflicts, anxieties, prayer requests, suffering, and needs. Anything we face.

When we encounter conflict, help us to stand fast in the Lord and choose His gentleness instead of impatience or demanding that we are right.

When we experience a barrage of invading thoughts, help us to turn to You in faith and hope that You can make our difficult situation—whatever it is—better. Guard us with the peace that can only come from You. There’s no other explanation for that quality and strength of peace.

When we suffer and have needs we can’t meet on our own, be our storehouse of blessing. Connect us with those who would want to help, and show us how we can bless them. Strengthen our dependence on Jesus who can handle anything and give us the exact strength we need to make it.

When we have enough and abound, help our hearts to also abound—in thanksgiving and in helping others as You give us opportunity.

Be our Peace in every situation. Make us a person of peace, depending on You, directed by You, secure in Your provision, walking in Your joy. We love You, our Peace-Giver. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Have you ever seen God build a buffer of peace around your soul? How does He guard you with His peace?

1. Larry Pierce, The Online Bible, CD-ROM (Winterbourne, Ontario: Larry Pierce, 2019), Philippians 4:7.