There is a Peace

There is a peace that is greater than anything my mind can fathom. There is a peace that protects me from pain that the storms of life impart. There is a peace that carries me through each battle that arises. There is a constant peace that is found only in Him. When my life is a roller coaster ride, swinging from one crisis to the next, His peace is my promise that, no matter what I think or see or feel or hear, it is entirely possible to have His quiet rest within me.

By now I know you must realize that Philippians 4:6-7 are two are my favorites verses. I constantly write about them. This is because they have brought me peace in the midst of life's heartaches and struggles. The only reason they have brought peace is that I had to do what they instructed. For the truth of the peace they offer to be real, I must act on what truth they impart. “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” (Philippians 4:6-7).

The instruction in verse 6 is clear. I will be honest with you. When it says that I am not to be anxious about anything, at first that is hard.. But if I do what I am instructed to do in the next few phrases, my anxiety level drops considerably. In every situation that I face, I am instructed in prayer to give God all my worries, fears, and every circumstance. When I get to the end of myself, I am ready to let go. When my spirit cries our for release from the burden of trying to carry the heaviness of life all by myself, I can let go. When I realize that I unable to take care of what I unable to take care of, then He lifts the load and carries it for me.

The weight lifts from my spirit, and suddenly I can breathe. I don't have to have an answer. I don't have to protect anyone. I don't have to meet that need. I don't have to take care of a problem that is more than I can handle. His peace that verse 7 promises descends into my heart. And with His peace comes His strength and direction to handle what I can't handle. There are things I must do because I can't retreat from life's problems. Where I didn't have an answer, He imparts His. Where I couldn't protect that person, He offers something that will. Where I didn't have the means to take care of a problem, He reveals the way for it to be done. Where a fear has consumed me, it has lifted.

I can live through the raging times of life, and have His peace for all that comes. I didn't say just exist through the raging times of life. I didn't say to just get by. I said to LIVE through them. I can live in His fullness of life, and not the emptiness of my own. I can't hide or run from problems and struggles of this life. But....His peace that comes from allowing Him to have control is beyond anything I can understand. It gives me what I need to take care of what I am unable to take care of without Him. Isn't that amazing? It just is. His peace is real, and it is absolutely more than possible. It is His promise.