God's Peace Will Guard...

This morning I am continuing 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."

As I was reading through these verses, I was struck by the prescription in verse 6, and the promise in verse 7, for those that struggle with anxiety.  As a rule I am not anxious, but I know many people who struggle with this daily, and I was thinking and praying for them as I was reading these verses.  

I was thinking about my normal response to uncertainty and doubt being petition and prayer, something along the lines of, "Help me God, I don't know what to do!"  What I don't often do is thank the Lord for the situation I find myself in!  Paul says we should present our requests in prayer, petition and thanksgiving, and I find that last one, thanksgiving,  is really the key, as the first two can be accomplished with a very introspective view, but thanksgiving forces me to change the way I am looking at myself and my situation.  Thanking God for a difficult situation means, either I am a masochist, or I believe that He has a plan and purpose for me, and its for my good, and this situation is part of the journey to fulfillment.  

As I was thinking about that, I had an analogy pop into my head, although one could think of many.  I was reminded of highschool, going through a prescribed set of math course, each one building on the one previous, so that at the end I was doing calculus and understanding it.  I couldn't have just understood calculus, I needed to understand algebra, geometry and trigonometry, and each of those classes represented a certain amount of difficulty, and struggle.  I had to put in time, work through the equations, etc. but in the end I was successful.  I didn't doubt the plan.  I can't say I was really thankful in the midst of those classes, although if I had been thinking about a future that required that math, that might have helped, and certainly would have changed my attitude.

In the same way, there is purpose to our lives, to that which we go through.  Paul said it well a bit earlier in this letter,  [12] "Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. [13] Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, [14] I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." ( Philippians 3:12-14 NIV).

So, in our struggle with anxiousness, uncertainty, doubt and fear, if we can approach God in prayer, petition and thanksgiving, thanking Him that this is helping us to fulfill His purposes and plan for our own good, the promise is the peace of God, will guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus!  I know I want His peace standing guard over my mind and heart, repelling the arrows and darts the enemy tries to launch at me.  

His peace is based on the fact that His will is always accomplished, His plans are perfect and He has already defeated the enemy!  The Lord knows exactly what the enemy will try and always is ready to counter it and turn it for His purposes!  I want the peace of God, which is certainly beyond my understanding, guarding my heart, protecting me and guiding me through the struggles, allowing me to engage in situations without feeling like I need to protect myself.  

This reflection brought me to three questions:

Can I trust Him with my heart?  

Can I trust Him with my future?

Can I trust Him with my woundedness?

If I can get my mind off myself, my pain, my worry and doubt and look to Him, and pray, and plead and mostly thank Him for this situation, I believe His peace will enter in, and cause me to see a way forward, bring stability to me, and protect me from recurrences.  This is certainly the promise that Paul has brought forward!  

I am reminded of a couple of verses from the Letter to the Hebrews 4:14-16 NIV:

[14] "Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. [15] For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are---yet he did not sin. [16] Let us then approach God's throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need."

Yes, Lord!  Mercy, Grace, and Peace in our time of need!

Lord, thank You for all that You are about in my life.  Thank You for those things I don't understand, those things that cause me to doubt, those things that hurt!  I believe that You understand me, my situation and have a plan and purpose, and its good!  I believe that I will experience Your peace, and it will guard me, in Christ Jesus, who has defeated the enemy!

Amen and Amen!