This morning I felt like reading from Paul's letter to the Philippians 4:4-9 NIV:
[4] "Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! [5] Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. [6] Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. [7] And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."
[8] "Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable---if anything is excellent or praiseworthy---think about such things. [9] Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me---put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you."
I thought these verses were a poignant reminder in these crazy days of political and civil unrest. There is so much in the news and on social media to become worried about, so much happening that can cause our hearts to fear, or be anxious, and Paul's words here, if we embrace them, can be like a calming balm.
I know I can get carried away by all the swirl around so many things, but as a follower of Christ, my heart should be at peace, and my spirit unaffected, for my gaze should be on Him, not on the world around me, for my sense of stability. Paul lays out some great advice - always rejoice in the Lord. In other words, be constantly mindful of the blessing of salvation, of His love, mercy, compassion and forgiveness extended into our lives. Remind yourself of His calling, His acceptance, His encouragement, His sovereignty, His awesome power, His authority, His presence.
If we are thinking about these things and rejoicing in them, it will be really hard to become bogged down by the cares and concerns all around us. Not that we ignore the issues and swirl, but our hearts, minds and our spirits respond from God's vantage point, not our own. When I think that everything is going crazy, I am reminded that He has all power and authority and is perfectly in control. When I see people hating each other, I am reminded that God created each and every one of us, and He died for us all, and loves us all, including me.
Paul encourages us to respond in gentleness, to let God's peace settle over us, and to think about the true, noble, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy. If this is what I am thinking about, I will have much less time to think about other unsettling stuff. The old saying, "you are what you eat" is somewhat true. I think it is much more accurate to say, "we are what we think about!" If I am constantly thinking about all the turmoil I become tumultuous internally. If I find myself constantly being pulled back and forth by the opinion and statements of opposing views, I am at the very least unsettled internally.
One of my favorite authors, Graham Cooke, speaks about spiritual warfare out of our place of peace and rest. Part of the strategy of the enemy is try and cause division, disturbance, doubt and fear. However, our call and invitation is to the opposite - unity, peace, trust and love. If we learn to rest in the Lord and are constantly mindful of Him and His position of authority and power, we become settled in His peace, which is beyond our understanding. We learn to rest in Him, and the enemy is unable to affect us, or should I say "infect us" with division, disturbance, doubt and fear.
When we respond out of peace, and are gentle to all around us, we become like a lighthouse in the midst of the storm, signalling to those around us that safe harbor can be found. So, let us be examples of peace and rest to the world around us. Let us look to Him, trust in Him and let His peace settle over. Let us think about Him, about the true, noble, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy. Let us allow His peace flow out of us to those around us!
Amen!
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