Philippians 4:6-7
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.
God could have chosen anything to protect our hearts; why peace? He could have chosen joy, confidence, courage, wisdom, love, power — but why peace?
Can you remember the last time you experienced true peace? First, peace is the only antidote for anxiety. Anxiety takes a toll on your body and mind. It creates a mental state of confusion, insecurity, anger, resentment, frustration, poor judgement, exhaustion, and isolation. The physical body will become weak, fatigued, sickly, with an increased heart rate, sleeplessness, muscle tension, inadequate blood flow, and shortness of breath.
But one simple word — peace — can change all that.
That word must be supported by a large supply of ingredients to wipe out all those symptoms of anxiety. Are there different types of peace? God says we will receive His peace and His peace transcends all understanding.
There are a lot of ways to experience at least some kind of peace: meditating, or just sitting and gazing at a sunrise or sunset, or sitting in a recliner listen to relaxing music, or on a deck just taking in nature. These are ways to take an educated inventory of what exactly is going on with your mind and body. But this peace that God says we will get is beyond our understanding.
I have experienced this peace. I can only describe it as a sense of the accumulation of all the combined ingredients of joy, strength, wisdom, courage, power, love, trust, patience and comfort — and not knowing where or how it’s happening to you.
It’s a feeling like a blanket being wrapped around you when you are chilled, or an arm on your shoulder when you are sad, or a chair put under you when you are weak, or a glass of water when you are thirsty. It encompasses all your body, mind and soul. The weight of the world is lifted and scaled down to a simple size.
Then the greatest secret ingredient kicks in: You automatically begin to love others. Compassion, understanding, forgiveness, and encouragement for others, kicks in. You become moved to action. The sense of the things that caused the initial anxiety is gone and the gift of anticipation, and excitement starts to take over. A frown turns to a smile. Teary eyes become wide with sparkle and the heart starts to pump again with blood flowing to all parts of the body, energizing each part.
And then you acknowledge God, for you know at the deepest part of your soul that this was a gift and not of your own doing.
Just a Thought…
