Peace

Don't worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses every thought, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. - Philippians 4:6-7 (HCSB)

Do any more comforting words exist in all of scripture? No matter how many times you hear them, read them, or experience the truth of them, these verses speak directly into the life of the believer. Believers who are struggling. Believers who are burdened. Believers who are broken. Believers who are desperate. 

What is refreshing about these verses is that they make no pretense of human effort... there isn't a sense of "pulling oneself up by one's bootstraps" here. Here, we find pure, unadulterated, 100-proof grace... God's unmerited favor poured out once more on His children. Grace -  this time in the form of a peace so inexplicable, yet so tangible. The peace promised here is only for those who are desperate for it...only for those who are tired and worried and beaten down. Yes, friends, God promises this most powerful manifestation of His peace to those who have barely enough strength to mutter a word to heaven. 

Verse 6 begins almost absurdly: "Don't worry about anything." Sure, Paul. Easy for you to say.

"But..." he adds. An exchange. Replace your worry and fears with something else. A conscious decision. Sometimes a difficult one. Lay it at His feet. Throw it if you must. Begrudgingly hand it over through tears. But whatever you do, make the exchange.

 "But in everything..." Every circumstance. A one-size-fits-all approach. No matter what you need, what you're facing, or how big the struggle, replace you worry. Replace it with what?

Trust. Desperate trust. ...Through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God."

Lay them at His feet, trusting that He is bigger. He's bigger than the mountain. He's bigger than the cancer. He's bigger than the betrayal. He's bigger than the sin. Lay them at His feet.

All He asks is that you couple your prayer and petition with thanksgiving. That's it. Thanksgiving is but a mindset of gratitude for what God has done in the past. In other words, "When you're facing the mountain, remember how I brought you through before." Let God's past faithfulness fuel your present trust.

What happens next is nothing short of amazing. It works. Every time. "And the peace of God, which surpasses every thought, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus." The KJV translates it, "which passeth all understanding." I love that. I can't explain it, I can't fathom it, but I can't deny it. I have peace when I shouldn't. I have joy when I really shouldn't. I have this strange sense that God is in control.

It's really that good. This is the God we serve. This is the God who loves you more abundantly than you can imagine. This is the God who is bigger than your problem. This is good news. This is grace.

By His Grace,

Adam