Maybe you’ve heard it said, “Peace through strength.” The phrase is coined to Ronald Reagan who, in the 1980s, modernized the US military to strengthen our nuclear defense and defeat communism. It is interesting to look at this phrase in a spiritual way also. How does one achieve peace as a Christian? Let’s take a deeper look at Philippians 4:4-7.
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.
Rejoice Always
There are days that are easier than others to find joy. When I am watching the news or when I get sick or when life doesn’t go like I have planned- how do I respond? What is my default setting? Is it to discover joy or does life uncover discontent and bitterness?
I think I am fairly positive person but even so I find that when life gets me down, sometimes it is hard to pull myself out of a funk. That’s when I need to remember these verses the most- rejoice ALWAYS. But I think that this is more than just thinking positive thoughts or focusing on the good things that are in my life; those are things that the world, self-help books, or motivational speakers tell us to do.
This verse in Philippians is actually telling us to “Rejoice in the Lord.” Meditate on God’s word, reflect back to Him the things that are true and good. Even when my life is a mess, God is never changing, and His constant goodness is reason enough to rejoice.
When we focus on delighting in the Lord with thanksgiving, we have more perspective and a good frame of mind. When we rejoice, we have the capacity to give God a good day because our praises please Him and in turn help us to shift our perspective from our spiraling thought patterns to the goodness of God.
Gentleness
The King James version on the bible translates this next verse as: “5 Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand.” Moderation is a word that guides us to not be extreme- or maybe a better way to say this is not to panic!
When I am rejoicing in the Lord and stuff happens, I shouldn’t panic because I am focusing on God. He has everything in control, we can trust that He is sovereign and good. How can I add a little gentleness into my life when I am feeling overwhelmed? First, I will try to guide my thoughts from extremes- in a more worldly way to put it- I try to center myself. Maybe by taking a walk with some worship music or just stepping into the sunlight to have a little talk with the Lord. It may take a few tries to find your spot that takes you from the edge but I encourage you to be kind with yourself as you experience moderation and gentleness.
Anxiety
“6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.“
Communication with God through prayer and petition. Petition is a bit more specific in the direction of the prayer and as you petition, your words become clearer with God. Don’t be anxious about anything, pray about everything.
“With thanksgiving, Present your requests to God.” He is wanting us to make a present or gift of our concerns to God. A presentation of our requests to God means that we give our concerns over to God and it is now his, not mine. I need to remember to not pick up my worries again because they do not belong to me anymore- I gave them away.
God may not agree with the things that I am asking but I think that it pleases the Lord more for me to simply come to him, with all my thoughts and worries, than to only come to him with my praises and thanksgiving. Both are important as my relationship with God grows.
Now, to be honest, I tend to think about the worst-case scenario a lot. I think about what could go wrong and come up with possible solutions in my head- all in the guise of being prepared. I bet I would be less anxious if I would pray about everything, all the time and leave it at God’s feet.
Be Guarded By Peace
The peace of God, which transcends all understanding. God’s peace is far beyond my understanding. I have experienced a peace that doesn’t make sense a few times in my life. Like when my dad passed away whist I was in college- it was a traumatic event in my life, but I can remember those days being filled with peace as I trusted God and kept coming back to Him with my worries and fears. Peace is meant to be experienced and grown thoughout our relationship with God. Look at verse 7 again:
7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
This is serious stuff! The image that the Peace of God guards our heart and mind gives the feeling of a military presence- one that is serious and not messing around. Let the Peace of God be stationed/guarded around my heart and mind. I want God’s peace to be stationed all around me. This concept makes me look at the peace, that my heart longs for, is something that isn’t too far off or too difficult to achieve.
If I make every effort to always be rejoicing and then making sure that I am being moderate and not extreme, if I keep presenting my concerns and anxieties to God, He will keep guard over my heart (the seat of my emotions and will) and mind (my thinking) with His Peace! That is good news!
