God’s Peace
Will God’s peace change your thinking?
Verse of the Day
‘Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.’
Today’s Devotional
This is a great example of a conditional promise of God. Today’s verse starts with the word “then”. So let’s back up and see what comes before this promised peace. Yesterday we looked at the verse prior to this one, but let’s back up just a little more.
“Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice! Let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do. Remember, the Lord is coming soon. Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.” (Philippians 4:4-6)
So how do we get this peace of God that will guard our hearts and minds? In other words, how do we change our thinking? According to the prior verses, we should be: rejoicing in God, behaving with gentleness, acknowledging the nearness of God, not worrying, praying with thanksgiving about everything.
Rejoicing in God: If I want God’s unexplainable peace in my life, I need to spend some time rejoicing that God is who he says He is. That He is in control and I am not. That He is good and kind. When was the last time you rejoiced in God? Not because of a blessing or desired outcome, but because He is God.
Behaving with gentleness: If I want God’s peace, I need to behave in a gentle way with other humans. I need to be considerate: of your emotions, of your opinions, of your preferences, or your background, or where you are in your spiritual journey. (I wish you could see me cringing right now. This is hard for me to do sometimes.) Proverbs 15:1 says, “A gentle answer deflects anger, but harsh words make tempers flare.” Gentleness comes easier for some than others. For all of us, choosing to be gentle is an avenue to the peace we all crave .
Acknowledging the nearness of God: So many times in the Bible, God tells us that He is here, in this moment, with each one of us. Acknowledging that nearness is a choice. Think about this: How often do you think about your breathing? You are always breathing, whether you realize it or not. But when you focus on your breathing, it slows and becomes deeper and more beneficial. If we want God’s peace, we need to practice that same concept with the nearness of God. Focus on His nearness. Breathe Him in. Know that He is with you in this very moment. And all the other moments.
Not worrying: Choosing not to allow ourselves to worry is a matter of trust. If I want God’s peace, I must redirect my brain every time it goes to worry. This may need to happen one hundred times every day. When I notice that I am worrying about something, what do I do? Do I continue on the path of worry, where I think about the possible outcomes, thinking of the worst and best case scenarios? Do I fret over what must be done next? Or do I go to 1 Peter 5:7 and cast all of my worries and anxieties to God? THIS IS A CHOICE!
Praying with thanksgiving about everything: If I want God’s promised peace in my mind and heart, I need to pray about everything and find gratitude in every situation. Not just the big stuff. This takes a shift in our mental perspective of prayer. It requires a more constant mental dialogue with God in our minds, directing our thoughts into prayers while also choosing to find things in each situation for which we are grateful.
If we do these things continually, God will guide us toward His peace and guard our hearts and minds. It’s interesting the way the peace is described. It surpasses all understanding. It doesn’t make sense to our human brains.
I spoke to a friend on the phone today who said, “I don’t know how I’m calm in the middle of everything that’s going on, but I am so grateful to God that I am.” That’s the peace that doesn’t make sense. Peace doesn’t mean that everything is right in my world. It means that in the middle of the storm, I recognize that God is holding me and everything will be ok.
This peace that doesn’t make sense will then guard my heart and mind. How? By reminding me of how God has helped me in the past. By helping me trust when it’s scary. By knowing that everything will be ok even when I have no idea how that will be accomplished. By supernaturally directing my thoughts. The peace of God is a treasured possession.
Isaiah 26:3 says ‘You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you!’ If I’m being honest, I don’t know how to keep my thoughts constantly fixed on God. Because I have to do laundry, and pay bills, and answer the phone, and get my work done, and get my driver’s license renewed, and make dinner. But when I am doing every one of those things (and all of the other things), I can actively choose to rejoice in God, to be considerate and gentle, to acknowledge God’s nearness, to cast my worries onto God, to pray, and to be grateful. Perhaps in doing those things, then my thoughts are fixed on God no matter what I’m doing or what’s going on. And THEN I will be granted God’s promised peace.
Journal Prompts
Answer only the questions that seem relevant to you today.
How can you rejoice in God today?
How can you behave with gentleness?
How can you acknowledge the nearness of God?
How can you choose not to worry today? What do you need to cast to God to handle?
How can you pray with thanksgiving about everything today?
Write out your prayer for God’s strength to do the things you listed above.
Ask God for a measure of his peace today in a specific area of your life.