Philippians 4:6-7
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and pleading with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”
Thoughts from Amanda Cook
Dive Deeper
Behind the Scenes
Peace… I feel like if the world is missing anything right now it’s peace. We talk about it, we strive for it, we hunger for it, but in the end, so many are missing it.
In this passage, the word for peace is the Greek word eirene which is from the verb eiro meaning to join or to bind together that which has been separated. It’s this idea of binding together two halves and restoring it to the original design, complete and whole. It’s the idea of satisfaction and rest.
Everywhere I look I see things that are broken and failing, separated from the perfect plan of God. I see families struggling, people fighting, and battles waging. There isn’t a single person I know that isn’t fighting some sort of war. The lack of peace is staggering and obvious.
And yet, God offers peace. Peace means rest, it means the ability to cease striving. Peace is the comfort of the battle being won. I think that’s why Paul says it is “the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension,” because in this world that is anything but peaceful, God offers something different, something that doesn’t make sense in light of the circumstances around us. He offers peace in the midst of the war, in the midst of the storm. His perfect, life giving, incomprehensible peace.
Make it Real
I don’t know about you, but that kind of peace sounds really good. But, if it’s something that God offers, why don’t more of us experience it? What piece of the puzzle are we missing?
Well for starters, I think we all too often look to the wrong things for peace. We say we are depending on God for peace when in all actuality we are looking to the things and people of this world for the solutions we crave. That’s why I love verse 6 of this passage. It spells out the recipe for tapping into this amazing peace of God that will guard our hearts and minds.
First, it says not to be anxious about anything… like literally nothing. Yikes! That’s harder than it sounds. But practically speaking, if the Bible commands us to do something it’s because it’s actually possible to accomplish. God would not ask you to do something you could not do. But that doesn’t mean it’s easy and it doesn’t mean it’s something you can do on your own. You’ll need the Holy Spirit working in you to accomplish this.
Second it says to take your prayers and pleadings to God. He wants you to go to Him. He welcomes you. So instead of stewing and stressing, take whatever is weighing on you to God. He doesn’t want just some of your worries. This verse says in everything… like everything! So, don’t hold back!
Third, season everything with thanksgiving. I remember reading this and not really understanding it. But as I’ve started obeying this command to bring thanks with my requests, I’ve found that this is the secret ingredient that truly activates peace. As we tune our hearts to recognize not just what we need but also what we already have, it opens our eyes to the goodness of God. And in that, we find peace. We find hope and we understand the might of the God we are calling on. When we take a second to look up from our current struggles and really take in what we have to be thankful for, the peace of God more readily floods our souls.
Crystal Garnett
ACF Digital Discipleship Team Lead
End in Prayer
Lord,
You are so good. Thank You for always being with me and always caring about what matters to me. Thank You for listening. Thank You that you promise to hear me and to listen to me. Lord, in the midst of the chaos around me, please help me to turn to You. Please help me to trust You and look for Your peace.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen