"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" (Phil 4:6-7).
Peace is the assurance of spiritual well-being resulting from the consciousness of the right relationship with God. The Peace that the believer enjoys are three kinds; peace with God, being at peace with one’s self - inner peace and being at peace with one’s neighbors. It is important to note that one can only have inner peace and peace with his neighbors after enjoying peace with God through Christ.
Rom 5:1 teaches that in the package of justification – peace with God through Christ is inclusive. It says, therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. This study focuses on the personal or inner peace that a Christian enjoys as a fruit of the Holy Spirit. A close study of Phil 4:6-7 reveals that one can only enjoy the peace of God when he is anxious for nothing, takes everything to God in prayer and lives a life of faith, trusting in the goodness of God. The last key to enjoying the peace of God is contentment. This requires an enjoyment of your blessings as you live with an attitude of gratitude – living each day with the innumerable blessings of the Lord in full perspective.
In illustrating true peace, let’s consider two cats. One is sleeping under the shade of a tree after a good meal; the second is sleeping on a stick that is standing in a river which is being tossed to and fro by the river’s turbulent currents. Which of these two scenes illustrate the peace of God? Definitely it is the latter. Peace is not the absence of adversity but calmness or the condition of freedom from disturbance in periods of great adversity. It is the mental triumph over adversity that comes as a result of one’s total dependence on God. This can only be possible when one trust’s in God’s goodness and takes all things to Him in prayer with an attitude of gratitude or contentment.
Mat 8:23-27 paints a dramatic picture about the peace of God. Jesus was travelling on a boat with His disciples when the storm began to swell up, sweeping over the boat. Naturally, the disciples begun to panic and there was a great commotion in the boat. However, the intriguing part of this story is that, Jesus was fast asleep in the midst of this boisterous storm. A Christian can be in the same stormy boat of life’s challenges with many others, but still enjoy the peace of God. We may all live in the heat of the same economy and the storms of the time but the difference will be the peace of God and the rest that he offers to those who love Him and enjoy His presence.
If you are leaving in anxiety, it may be because you may have lost peace with God. Real peace is tested in the midst of a storm. Regardless of the personal challenges you are going through, today may you enjoy the peace of God through total dependence on Him, gratitude and faith. May ‘the God of peace be with you… Amen’ (Rom 15:33).
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