Peace that Passes all Understanding

Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice. Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

(Philippians 4:4-7) KJV

We can find ourselves in turmoil at this time of year with the frantic running around that needs to be done. The rest of the world is also frantically running around at the same time.

The still quiet voice of God that we are told to slow down and listen for is completely drowned out in the blitz of Christmas preparations that are going on. Can we really drift along through all this with perfect peace in our hearts?

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We all have the same evidence. Our choice of paradigm determines what we think it’s evidence of.

– Matty’s Razor

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We (that’s me and the Holy spirit) would have to say, yes, we can, on account of having just done it. God has been working on us for many years and it has taken quite a while for us to be able to experience what he’s talking about in this passage. It’s all very well to read this stuff in the Bible, and to have an academic understanding of what It means, but it can be quite different to actually live this way.

Rejoice in the Lord always. And again I say rejoice! We have so much to be thankful for. If we are going to let the joy of our salvation be ruined by worry about what Donald Trump did or didn’t do, or whether or not the North Koreans are going to launch a nuke, I think we’re missing the point. Even if Trump did what they said and the North Koreans launch a nuke, God is still in control and it is part of his working out the plan of redemption for our lives. There’s no need to worry about it.

The peace comes from knowing that we have done all that we can to meet God where he is. We really have done our part. We faithfully attend a local church, we tithed our income, we preached in season and out of season, we reached out to the fatherless and widows, we gave to the poor, we visited the sick. We actually did the things God asks us to do, and we did them with a glad heart. We can be at peace because now we know that it’s time for God to do His part, just as he has promised. We can’t buy favors from God, and we are not working for our salvation. We are saved by grace through faith and offering our works as the fruit of our faith. Whatever God has in store for us will be for our benefit.

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Faith is believing in something that you can’t see, because of evidence.

– Faith, definition

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The reason that we may not be at peace is because we aren’t doing some or any of the things that God asks us to do. One of the most miserable people in the world is the Christian who’s fallen out of the will of God, drifted away, backslidden, and is suffering in quiet angst over all the things that they know that they ought to be doing. I know. I have lived that way.

When you stop going to church, stop tithing, stop witnessing to neighbors and the people who you meet. When you take on debt so that you couldn’t tithe even if you wanted to. When you ignore the poor, don’t reach out to the widow or fatherless. When you get to thinking that there’s no point. What difference does it make anyway? There’s no peace in that. It is very difficult to get out of a situation like that but not impossible. It takes the decision to make a real and sincere commitment to a local church and to a community.

I am rejoicing very greatly because God has brought me along to the place where I have this peace. We have all suffered loss during the past year. Yet the Lord has given me satisfaction and joy from the involvement I have in my local church. I have deep fulfillment from my fledgling Internet ministry. The Lord is working in my life.

I want you to have the peace that I have. Put your faith in Jesus Christ and have peace in your heart today . Rejoice, rejoice, and again I say rejoice.

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