“And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. ” (Philippians 4:7)
Of all of the promises in the Bible, this one might be the most immediately appealing to me. I want God’s irrational peace standing guard – it’s a military word – over my heart and mind.
This is different from God’s promise that we have peace with him through faith in Christ (see Romans 5:1). That means that we are on good terms with him; he’s for us. All Christians are receiving that promise.
This one, though, is conditional. I only get it today if I practice what’s in the verse before it – giving my requests and thanks to God and letting go of my worry. Then comes this peace that doesn’t make any sense because my actual circumstances haven’t really changed.
But it’s a big, bulky well-armed peace – this peace of God – that stands guard over my thoughts and emotions. When I trust him with what matters most to me today, he floods me with the sense that it’s going to be okay. Who wouldn’t want that?
Think: You can’t pay for it, but what do you think the peace of God would be worth if you could? Why do you think sometimes we’d rather worry than have the peace of God?
Pray: Thank God that he gives us his peace when we gratefully trust him with what matters most to us.
Do: Pay attention to your heart and mind today and notice if they are protected by peace or dwelling on worry.