Bible Basics

The Peace of God

Paul writes, “Be anxious in nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Jesus Christ” (Phil. 4:6, 7). As expressed last week, the antidote to anxiety is to place all of our concerns into the hands of the Lord. When we do this, “the peace of God” guards our hearts and minds. Paul speaks to Christians who have already experienced the peace that comes through the forgiveness of sins and reconciliation with the God (Rom. 5:1; Eph. 2:13-16). Now he speaks of a peace that comes from a continued trust in God. Jesus said, “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you.  Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid” (John 14:27). This peace cannot be found at the bottom of a bottle, or in the contents of a pill, neither will you find it on Dr. Phil’s television show. It is a peace that is beyond all human comprehension for it “surpasses all understanding.” It is a peace that comes only from our trust in God to take care of every challenge in our life. It is a peace that enables us to “Rejoice in the Lord always” (Phil. 4:4) even during times of duress and persecution. The question is do you have this peace?

                                                                                                               -- Clark Dugger

Bible Basics