Philippians 4:6–7 (NKJV)
6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
Last week we looked at the first verse of this passage in Philippians 4. The focus was on the word ‘anxious’. The message was that anxiety, worry, and care will have a negative effect on not only the way you see the world but also a negative effect on your health. By health, I mean both physical and mental health. Having worked through verse six last week, we now know that we need to tell God about everything that is upsetting us. The conclusion was from: –
1 Peter 5:7 (NKJV)
7 casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.
Speaking as a leader of the church, I can say that over the past week, our enemy has been trying to destroy the power of this verse not only in me but other leaders as well. We have all struggled with thoughts of giving up and letting someone else have a go. But guess what, we got together and shared honestly our experiences, and we saw the hand of our enemy in this. This situation was almost laughable. Here I was trying to prepare a devotional on worries and cares and how to beat them; when I realised that I had almost let the enemy steal the word and promises of God from me. The very word that would give me victory. If you are reading this devotional, then that is a testimony to both the power of the Word of God and His faithfulness to uphold and perform His Word.
Having cast our cares upon Him, told Him everything that is causing us to be anxious or worried about, what happens next? Well for me it something a little bit miraculous. It is like a weight that has been pressing in on you from all sides is suddenly lifted. You see the world in full colour again instead of black and white.
Philippians 4:7 (NKJV)
7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
When we read this verse, we get the idea that, when used in the Bible, the word ‘peace’ means much more than an absence of war. When I was in Israel, everyone used the Hebrew word for peace ‘shalom’ as both a greeting and a blessing. The Greek word ‘eirene’, used to mean just the absence of war until the Jewish rabbis translating the Old Testament into Greek used the word ‘eirene’ as the translation for ‘shalom’. So, the meaning since then has come to be pretty much identical in the New Testament. A state of wholeness and wellbeing, nothing missing, and nothing broken, as applied in every area of our life. These days such peace is in pretty short supply, so we look to our scripture to see how we can get our peace back.
6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
It is by handing over all our troubles to Jesus that we are able to access this wonderful promise of peace freely offered to all who will. How do we know that Jesus can deliver on this promise? Isaiah the prophet wrote some 700 years before the event: –
Isaiah 9:6–7 (NKJV)
6 For unto us a Child is born,
Unto us a Son is given;
And the government will be upon His shoulder.
And His name will be called
Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
7 Of the increase of His government and peace
There will be no end,…
Prince of Peace is one of Jesus’ titles. He is Lord over our peace.
He gives it freely as John tells us: –
John 14:27 (NKJV)
27 Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
This our assurance that we do not have to stay anxious or worried or full of care about our COVID crisis. He is Lord over all that and He gives us His peace to bring us through with healthy hearts and minds, a sense of wellbeing that transcends anything you have ever experienced before. The good news is that He didn’t just die and leave it to you, He rose again to make sure you get it.
A final word from Bob Gass: –
“And you can never overuse His peace or run out of it. It’s like the loaves and fishes that Jesus multiplied—the more you use it, the more it increases. Isaiah said, “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on Thee: because he trusteth in thee” (Isaiah 26:3).”[1]
If you’ve lost your sense of peace today, get back into God’s presence immediately and ask Him what you need to do to put things right.[2]
[1] Bob Gass, A Fresh Word For Today : 365 Insights For Daily Living (Alachua, FL: Bridge-Logos Publishers, 1998), 181.
[2] Ibid.
One reply on “The Peace of God”
Very appropriate to me at this time too. Thank you