Peace that Passes Understanding

When Paul spoke these words to the Philippians (Phil. 4:6,7), he was encouraging them to pray about everything instead of worrying. He continued in his word to them that in expressing our needs to God and thanking Him for all that He has done, the way to accessing His peace will be opened to us – a peace that is far beyond natural understanding. Man will not be able to comprehend how someone who is in the midst of calamity or trauma can experience and live in peace.

How easy it is to let our uncertainty about a situation cause us to become overly concerned and to then have that concern turn into worry and then fear. There is no peace in worry, only expectation of something worse happening.

Paul, through this message to the Philippians, tells us what a spirit of joy can create in the life of a person; it causes them to be gentle and to have expectations of good, not evil. The peace that comes (through turning our concerns over to Him in prayer and establishing gratitude to God as our base of life) will set a guard on our hearts and minds.

We are then (verses 8 and9) told that if we station our thoughts on the good gifts of God – things that are true, honorable, right, pure, lovely and admirable, things that are excellent and worthy of praise – and continue to practice all that we have learned from Paul’s writings, the God of Peace Himself will be with us.

To me that means that we will walk in peace; our joy will affect all those around us. It is such a blessing to be a blessing!