And the Peace of God…

I planted my garden this week. It is exciting to think about all the plants and seeds I planted and all the harvest we will be able to enjoy in the weeks and months to come. It is with eager anticipation, I walk out to my garden each day and look for the seedlings to emerge from the soil. Those few weeks of waiting for the seeds to appear is always a test in my patience. Will the seedlings actually appear? Once they do appear will the bugs or the deer eat them all?

There is one guarantee in this whole process. If I plant bean seeds, bean seedlings will appear. If I plant corn seeds, corn seedlings will appear.

We like to have guarantees. We like to know the outcome of things. We like control.

That is not the age that we are currently living in though, is it? Times are uncertain. The future is uncertain. We do not know exactly how this current crises will affect our health, our jobs, our economy, or our lives.

I have been looking at Philippians 4 over the last few weeks, and have been challenged in my walk with the Lord as I have meditated on these truths. I have found real encouragement in the truths of Scripture and I feel the need to share this knowledge with those of you who want to read what I learn. Thank-you for reading and learning with me.

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.  (Phil. 4:6, 7)

We looked last week at Philippians 4:6 and being anxious for NOTHING. The rest of the verse says we should take everything to the Lord and be thankful for it.

It is hard to be thankful for the hard situations in life: Covid-19, stay home orders, loss of job or wages, not being able to see family and friends, sickness, and even death. But yet, have you ever thought that God has given us a prescription for life?

The prescription and the result of following the prescription are given to us.

The prescription:

1. Be anxious for Nothing
2. But in everything by prayer and supplication-take everything to the Lord
3. With thanksgiving
4. Let your requests be made known to God

The result:

1. The peace of God which surpasses all understanding
2. Will guard your heart and your minds in Christ Jesus

How many of us thrive on strife? How many of us like the feeling of being anxious? God has given us the prescriptions of what we need to do so we can experience peace.

The troubles of tomorrow may not come, so why do we allow ourselves to be anxious about them?  If we do have a concern, we need to pray about it and be thankful for what God will do in the situation.

The best part of all of this is that the results are predictable. If we do what God says we will get predictable results. Just like in my garden when I plant corn seeds, I will get corn to come up. Don’t we like to know what we are going to get when we invest in something?

If we follow what God tells us to do in Philippians 4:6, we will reap the benefits that God told us about in Philippians 4:7.

Do we not want peace?

This peace is so amazing it is beyond what we can understand. We will sit back in our seats and be amazed at the peace we are experiencing because we followed God’s prescription.

The verse does not just say that we will get peace, but it also says that our hearts and minds will be guarded. What is it guarded against? If we follow the prescription, we will be guarded or protected from those feelings or thoughts of anxiety.

This result all happens in Christ Jesus.

So will you follow this prescription? No one said it’s going to be easy. Working in my garden isn’t easy, but I do so love the results. I know that there have been hard things in your life that you have done and when you finished, did you like the results?

So in the midst of all the mixed messages we are receiving daily in the news, be thankful. Pray for our leaders that they will be wise. Use these opportunities to teach your children. Show them how to live in a time of uncertainty. Then show them what the peace of God looks like.