And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. — Philippians 4:7
God’s peace.
Peace that transcends understanding.
Peace that guards my heart, my every feeling.
Peace that protects my mind, my every thought.
Peace that is found in Jesus Christ.
I want that kind of peace. I need that kind of peace.
How about you? Real peace. Peace that baffles and confounds logic. Peace to calm your fickle feelings and stay your spinning mind. Peace to free you from all your worries and anxieties. This is the peace that comes when we give our anxieties to God in prayer. It is a peace that makes no sense, a peace that can’t be explained, a peace we have in Christ, and it is always available to us when we pray. This is the promise of our verse. And it is so, so good.
I can attest to it. Last week, I needed this peace like nobody’s business. I’ll spare you the details, but my day-in and day-out experience was one of intermittent anxious thoughts and feelings. More than anything, I needed peace. I needed freedom from that old enemy, anxiety.
So, what did I do?
Some simple things—I read my Bible and journaled about my feelings. I asked a couple of close friends to pray for me and with me. And in those hectic moments when the anxious feelings and thoughts hit me throughout the day, I took a deep breath and recited the verses we’ve been memorizing (including this week’s verse: Philippians 4:7). Then I gave my anxiety over to God in prayer.
God met me in those moments.
He was near. He heard my prayers. He gave me peace. And He is meeting me still, even now. Whenever I feel that anxiety rising in my chest, I keep doing what I’ve been doing, reciting these verses and giving my burdens to my Father. I confess, my problems and anxieties didn’t go away with a snap of my fingers. No, I haven’t arrived at constant perfect peace, but I do experience it regularly, moment by moment. Such peace is a gift from God—a gift He wants to give you too.