Peace of God

 

Peace of God

 “Let your graciousness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:5-7

Paul loved his community. It is crazy how someone despised people became the mouth piece of the gospel of Jesus unto the nations. I love Paul for so many reasons but probably the biggest is where he came from. The Bible says, he became a chosen instrument to take the name of Jesus to Gentiles, kings, and Israelites. God knew what he would become. 

Rejoicing is a decision not a feeling. The more I recognize my feelings the more I can turn that over. Shame. Guilt. Fear. When I recognize that comfort I can recognize that I can begin to look to Jesus to draw me into his understanding. The Lord is near and knows our concerns and wants us to come to Him in all of it.  I live in a world that will try and gain that comfort everywhere. I see this everywhere I turn. What will come at us has to be met in us. It is unexplainable how we can know and feel the comfort in the arms of our Father. But that is the very reason there is no going back to the other way. I wonder if that was what Paul thought. It is because he experienced the really hard unexplainable things. He got an up front seat to see how the power of the Living God worked in him. I can do the same. 

I used to think if I had enough will not to worry that would fix things. Just don’t think about it and push it away. Then guilt would follow because of my forgetting and not being able to push that thought away. Don’t get me wrong I have conquered this and won’t because that worry will still creep in but now it is more recognizable because I know the voice who calms my fears. That is the very person I will run to when they come when I can recognize the spiral of those thoughts and where they are dragging me into. That is what worry does. It can plant things within my heart and mind that will cause me to forget. I don’t have to worry because I have learned that God is faithful. NO matter what. 

I think that is my favorite part of being a part of a community of other people who follow Jesus. Encouraging one another in Spirit and Truth. Knowing together that His faithfulness increases our faithfulness together.