Philippians 4:7 - God's Wonderful Peace

Today we come to one of the most amazing promises in all ofScripture as we look at Philippians 4:7. After Paul tells us to pray abouteverything, he now tells us what God gives us in return. Verse 7 says: “Andthe peace of God, which passes all understanding, shall keep your heartsand minds through Christ Jesus.” Noticethat Paul does not promise that every problem will immediately disappear.Instead, he promises something even greater. God will give us peace—a peace inthe midst of the trials, the challenges, the problems, the disturbances, andeven the tragedies that come into our lives. This is not merely peace with God,which we receive when we trust Jesus Christ as our Savior. Romans 5:1 says: “Therefore,being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord JesusChrist.” No, this is the peace of God—the very peace that fills Hisown heart. Rememberwhat Jesus said to His disciples on the night before His crucifixion. Theirhearts were deeply troubled as they gathered with Him in the Upper Room. Jesussaid to them in John 14:1: “Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe inGod, believe also in Me.” Then, in verse 27 of that same chapter, He said: “PeaceI leave with you.” Remember Jesus was about to leave them, yet He said, “Ileave My peace with you.” Why? Because He had just promised them the HolySpirit, who would come and dwell within them. The peace that comes from theHoly Spirit—the fruit of the Spirit—is the peace of Christ abiding in ourhearts. Jesus continued: “My peace I give unto you: not as the worldgiveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it beafraid.” Oh,what a wonderful peace God gives us! It is a calm assurance that He is incontrol. Paul says this peace passes all understanding. The world cannotexplain it. It simply does not make sense from a human perspective. How can wehave peace when we are facing cancer? How can we sing while sitting beside ahospital bed? How could Paul and Silas sing in prison after they had beenbeaten and their backs were bleeding? It is because our peace does not comefrom our circumstances. Our peace comes from God. Pauluses a military term when he says God will keep our hearts. The word literallymeans "guard." It pictures a soldier standing watch over a city or anarmy. Paul was writing this letter from a Roman prison, undoubtedly seeingRoman guards every day. He says that God's peace stands guard over our heartsand minds. It protects us from fear. It protects us from despair. It protectsus from becoming overwhelmed. And He does it all through our Lord Jesus Christ.He is the source of our peace.  Isaiah26:3 gives us this wonderful promise: “You will keep him in perfect peace,whose mind is stayed on Thee, because he trusts in Thee.” My friend, whenyou put your trust in God, you are trusting the One who is in complete controlof all things. You yield everything to Him—your possessions, your health, yourfuture, your family—everything. When we cling too tightly to the things of thisworld or become consumed with material gain, it often reveals that we have notfully surrendered those areas of our lives to the Lord. Andwhen anxiety begins to fill our hearts, remember the words of Psalm 37: “Fretnot thyself because of evildoers.” When we find ourselves fretting, it isoften an indication that we are not trusting the Lord as fully as we should.But when we know Him—when we truly know His character and trust His promises—wediscover that He will guide us, keep us, and fill our hearts with His peace. Oh,what a wonderful, wonderful peace! Todaywe may not know what tomorrow holds, but we know the One who holds tomorrow. God bless!