A devotion by husband Steve Long - Visit his blog at Reflecting the Light
Nitish Kadam on unsplashed.com
Do you sometimes feel uneasy, discouraged, unsure,
worrisome, conflicted or bothered? Peace is far away and if it is ever near,
does it come only momentarily? Here is something you can do.
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 minds through Christ Jesus.
(Philippians 4.6-7)
I think it is important to recognize two different aspects
of a peaceful life.
· Peace with God
This is the first aspect. Peace with God comes to us when we
are made right with God. The scriptures tell us that we can become righteous
before God by faith. “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for
righteousness.” (Romans 4.3) This doesn’t just include Abraham, but the Jews
and all the peoples of the world who believe in Christ.
The result of being made righteous before God is – peace
with God.
Therefore, having been justified (made righteous) by faith,
we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Romans 5.1)
This means we are no longer at enmity with God but, having
believed God’s word, are now on his side. Like two nations who’ve been at war,
when one surrenders to the other’s will, they become friends; we are now
friends of and at peace with God.
· The Peace of
God.
It is possible, however, to have peace with God but not have
the peace of God which is the second aspect. So, what does this mean and why is
it important for you and me?
Now that God has eliminated the enmity between us and him,
we are now reconciled to him and at peace with him, there is sometimes another
sense of discord that most of us have to deal with. That is, a lack of peace
within. We have conflicts going on inside of us that keep us from having inner
peace. This is not something that we are able to attain on our own. It can only
be given to us from God. This is what we mean by the peace of God.
This peace, which comes from God, is something that is
available to the Christian but there are some things we must apply. This
includes living peacefully, gently and reasonably with others, rejoicing in
God’s goodness, setting aside worry, being prayerful, and especially being
thankful.
How does thankfulness on our part lead to peace within – or
peace from God? I think thanksgiving resolves the inner conflicts in our souls.
There are plenty of things to complain about, and I do my share of it, but I
have never experienced inner peace while complaining.
Note: Taking legitimate problems to a legitimate source in
order to fix it is problem solving. Thinking and talking obsessively to anyone
and everyone about our problems is complaining. God’s word says,
“Do everything
without complaining or arguing.” (Philippians 2.14)
So, one of the answers as to how we can have peace from God
in our inner being is this: be thankful. Thankfulness dispels complaining and
negativity in our souls. Once again, through gratefulness, we become singular
in purpose and not divided inside. The thankful heart concedes itself to the
will of God alone, coming into agreement with him so that there is no conflict
going on inside.
When, upon
life’s billows, you are tempest tossed,
When you
are discouraged, thinking all is lost,
Count your
many blessings, name them one by one
And it will
surprise you what the Lord hath done [i]
The peace of God will “guard your heart.” This means, “… to
protect by a military guard … to prevent hostile invasion”[ii] Our hearts are
easily invaded by troubling thoughts but that peace which comes from God will
protect it like a well trained group of military guards. If we walk in this
“peace of God” our hearts will be impenetrable.
The peace of God will also “rule in your hearts.”
And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also
you were called in one body; and be thankful. (Colossians 3.15)
This can be described as “to be an umpire; to decide,
determine; to direct or control.”[iii] This means that God’s peace will become
the “decider” in your life. You will let it call the shots. You will only move
where God gives you peace to move and only do what he gives you peace to do.
Be grateful, giving thanks to God for all of his blessings.
This, along with the other things mentioned, will bring you his peace.
[i] Johnson Oatman (1897)
[ii] Online Bible Greek Lexicon
[iii] Op. Cit.
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