“And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:7
I want to be at peace.
I’m always worried about something. I haven’t been to visit my friend who is in the nursing home. What if I get COVID? I need to take a casserole to our neighbor whose Dad just died. I have obligations in many of the nonprofits I am part of. Oh, and what about that thing I committed to at church? Should I go on the mission trip to Guatemala this summer? What if my daughter doesn’t find a new job in a timely fashion? I need to raise funds for the benefit next month. What will I fix for supper? And on and on and on.
And all of that is personal. What about the discord in our country? Will the debt ceiling be increased? Will I lose my Social Security benefits? Did I retire too early? What about Medicare? Will our hospital reach an agreement with my insurance company? And I can’t bear another mass shooting.
Peace.
It seems so elusive. Yet, Jesus told me not to worry. In fact, John 14:27 promises peace from the Prince of Peace: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”
The world offers plenty of solutions to anxiety: Valium, alcohol, binge eating, meditation or psychotherapy.
But here’s what God offers: Himself.
God designed us to reach our full potential, to be powerful beyond measure, to have success and joy and abundance in our lives. No – he never said life would be a bed of roses. All He said is that He would help us deal with the thorns.
As daughters of Christ, we’ve been given an incredible gift: God’s peace. This means we don’t have to let fear trouble our hearts, we don’t have to let the unknown paralyze us. God is right there beside us; He’s seen it all before and He knows exactly what He’s doing.
Let’s trust God – He’s not worried about the debt ceiling, discord, donations, daughters or disaster. And when we turn to Him in prayer rather than grab a glass of wine or dose of Xanax, He will provide a peacewhich surpasses all understanding and which will guard our hearts and minds.
I want that kind of peace!