The application here is about being able to live God’s way in every situation we find ourselves in. Rather than burying our heads in the sand, Paul wants us to know that we can face our problems (vs. 10-12) assured that God gives all that we need to live confidentially and in his strength (vs. 13-18). Only a brief mention of prayer at the end of the section (vs. 19-20) shouldn’t be taken as being of lesser importance to what comes before it – Paul’s focus on prayer is that it will always underpin the entirety of his teaching.