Finding our Peace in God


"Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." — Philippians 4:4-7

Paul is a tough guy to read. He offers some challenging, but important words to live by. Sometimes when that happens our tendency is to respond, "yeah, but he didn't have to deal with what I have to deal with." Paul clips us there, too. He was beaten, shipwrecked, snake bitten, and imprisoned for his faith. In fact, he wrote those words about rejoicing and giving all our cares up to God while he was in prison awaiting execution. You can't really argue with that.

If that wasn't enough, I'm going through the book "Crazy Love," by Francis Chan, with my Sunday School class. Sometimes you just know God is trying to reach you. Not only did we look at this passage from Paul during Sunday service, which meant meditating on it all week, it was the crux of the chapter in "Crazy Love" this week. Essentially Chan's point was that when we are overcome by anxiety and worry, we're saying our problems are bigger than God. Sort of puts things in perspective.

I worry. I have anxiety. I'm a planner and somewhat of a perfectionist. Little things eat at me and bother me. I think that's part of the human condition. I feel comforted when I read the Scriptures because I know I'm not alone. The Psalms and Proverbs talk about casting our cares on God. Jesus, in the greatest sermon ever given, exhorts us not to worry. Then we have this passage from Paul.

I might not be alone, but that's also not an excuse. Having faith means giving up our illusion of control — and it is an illusion. I may not be able to control things, or even understand why they happen, but that doesn't mean I should obsess about them. I have to give it up to God.

He is in control and He has a plan. It's hard, but it's something we have to remember. It's a comfort in good times, but even more so in hard times.

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