Philippians 4:5b-7 –The Peace of God
How many of you would say you struggle with anxiety? When is the last time you can remember being anxious? What is the last thing you remember being anxious about?
Anxiety and worry are distress responses to the circumstances of life in this fallen world. The Bible teaches they are the results of fear—the fear of man, the fear of loss, or the fear of the future. Everyone deals with anxiety and worry in some form at some point in their lives. We all face things (stresses, troubles, trials, decisions) about which we can become anxious. Anxiety occurs and grows as our worldly cares, concerns, and problems overshadow our trust in God’s promises and cause us to fear. Or to put it another way, because of sin, our mind fearfully focuses on our stress, troubles, trials, and problems rather than remembering God’s promises.
However, Scripture is clear that we are not to be anxious. We are not to let the cares or troubles of this world lead us into anxiety. And yet, we seem to constantly be faced with things that cause us to succumb to anxiety and worry.
In Scripture, God promises to be with His people; that He will never leave us or forsake us. He promises to work all things out for our good and His glory. And it is Jesus Christ who is the fulfillment of the promises of God, and it is Christ through which we obtain those promises.
God has shown that all His promises are true and find their yes in Christ. By our justification through Christ, we are assured of our peace with God and His care for us. Therefore, we can experience the peace of God.
And because Jesus assures us of God’s presence with us, we do not have to fear and be anxious or worry when troubles arise.
Philippians 4:6-7 describes the “peace of God” as the opposite of anxiety. The peace of God comes when we have peace with God and enjoy access to Him. His presence brings peace. In these verses the apostle Paul teaches us how to deal with and fight anxiety so that we may experience the peace of God more and more. So how do we do this? We fight anxiety when we remember the Lord is at hand and we engage in God-centered prayer. As we do these things, the peace of God will guard our hearts and minds.
Let’s look at these together now. Paul sets up verses 6-7 with the simple statement – The Lord is at hand. If we remember that the Lord is at hand, we will find it difficult to be anxious. There is some debate among commentators about the exact meaning Paul has in mind here. He could mean that the Lord is near in the sense that He is present with us by His Spirit to comfort and strengthen us, or he could mean that Christ is near in the sense that His return is imminent. It seems that Paul could actually be referring to both aspects of Christ’s nearness. We should not be anxious because our Savior will be with us and will make us strong enough to endure all that comes our way. But we also should not be anxious because Jesus could come at any moment; this world will not last forever, and all of our worries will give way to eternal peace and joy in the new heaven and earth.
Either way, the presence of the Lord in the lives of believers offers great comfort and peace. Think of a child. When a child is scared, they want their mom or dad. They are comforted by the fact that they are not alone. They believe that no matter what situation or threat that comes, being with their mother or father is the safest place to be. Throughout my life as a parent, I have seen this principle played out over and over. There have been times when a child of mine is frightened of something or anxious about going and doing something. And quite often I've found that all they need is simply my wife or I to be with them. If you have children, think of all the times that child has come into your room in the middle of the night scared of something. Or if you don't have children, think of the times you went into your parents’ room when they were sleeping because you were frightened. What is the typical request of the child? Can I sleep in your bed? I just need to be near you. I just need to be in your presence. Your presence comforts me.
That is the idea Paul is expressing here. God's presence is with his people and will always be with his people. If we could just remember, the Lord is at hand, then we could fight our fears and anxiety much more effectively. Christian, do you remember your Lord is near? If you have never trusted in Christ, know that when you turn to Christ in faith, He promises to be with you, now and forevermore. You will never face any stress, trial, trouble, or struggle alone. And what if you have turned to him in faith, but from time to time you forget to remember the Lord is at hand? God's grace is sufficient even when our faith and memory are insufficient. That is the extent of the great love and kindness of the Lord who is at hand.
In light of the reality that the Lord is near, Paul issues the command Do not be anxious in verse six. Each other part of the passage is Paul’s teaching on how to not be anxious. The command to not be anxious is an action to continue being done every moment of the believer’s life. Jesus taught the same in Matthew 6. In Matthew 6:34, Jesus says, “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” Paul and Jesus are saying, stop being worried. Instead, trust God. Trust in His sovereignty and plan and do not fear. It echoes the beautiful promise of Isaiah 43, “But now thus says the Lord, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: ‘Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine.”’
The word Paul uses for “anxious” means to be troubled with cares. The idea is literally to be pulled in different directions, or to be pulled apart. The picture is to suffer the tension of your hope pulling in one direction and the trials of life pulling in the opposite direction.
This does not mean that we should not be concerned about issues in our lives amid difficulties. Yet Paul stresses that believers must not be pulled apart and strangled of peace and joy - we must not be anxious and worried.
That being said, we must carefully distinguish between forms of anxiety based on what we do when our hearts are weighed down with cares or fears. There is a sanctified response to anxiety—a right concern for the things of God in the lives of the people of God.
I like how biblical counselor and pastor James D’Souza distinguishes anxiety from appropriate biblical concern. He says, “Biblical concern is an appropriate response to our daily troubles. Paul and Timothy had this type of concern for the churches which we see in passages like 2 Cor. 11:28 and Philippians 2:19. Jesus Himself demonstrated how not to sinfully act on anxieties in the garden of Gethsemane. When facing the prospect of being cut off from the presence of God on the cross, He pressed through His anguish of soul by trusting His Father.”
D'Souza goes on to point out that the ditches on either side of biblical concern are apathy and anxiety. When we stray from biblical concern, we do so either in the direction of ceasing to be concerned at all (apathy) or being concerned in an inordinate way (anxiety).” There are many things that arise in our lives that we should be concerned about. Having care and concern about things in our lives is appropriate. We see this principle expressed throughout Scripture, particularly in places like the book of Proverbs and Ecclesiastes. Proverbs 15:22 says, “Without counsel plans fail, but with many advisers they succeed.” Proverbs 21:5 says, “The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance,” And God certainly wants us to exercise godly wisdom, concern, and planning as we face issues or troubles.
For example, if we know that a major hurricane was going to impact Florence, it would be appropriate to plan and prepare for it. We would be concerned for our houses, properties, loved ones, etc. We would take appropriate precautions. Even so, it is possible that things could be damaged or even destroyed. So, as we prepare, we trust that God will be with us and whatever happens is not out of His control. Though we prepare, we do not fear. However, it is also possible that biblical concern could veer off into anxiety and worry. We could become overwhelmed with fear and worry. We could say that we are trusting that God is in control, but our heart and mind are not fully convinced. We may anticipate the worst possible scenario and fear the outcome. We doubt God’s promise to be with His people and to work all things out for their good and His glory. That includes the things that we fear or worry about.
Well, we might say to ourselves, just stop being anxious then. We grit our teeth and try with all our might to stop worrying. Is that the answer? That is not what Paul teaches here. Paul continues in verses six and seven by giving the prescription for dealing with and fighting anxiety. The second half of verse six says, “but in everything, by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.”
Simply put, one of the primary tools for battling anxiety is prayer. Paul Tautges, in his devotion Knowing God’s Peace, describes four aspects of what prayer includes and how it is the prescription for and weapon against anxiety.
He points out that the first aspect is worship of God through prayer. The more we pray about everything, the more we consciously submit our lives to the Lord. The more we worry, the more we trust in our own ability to control things - or even people. As a result, we often end up worshipping our heart’s idols - whatever makes us feel safe or in control.
The second aspect is supplication. This aspect is bringing all our needs to God, because he's fully able to meet them. Supplication implies that we have been provoked by the realization that we lack something essential. In prayer, we bring our needs to God - not because he is unaware but because we need to acknowledge our dependence on him.
The third aspect is to always be grateful. We should pray with thanksgiving. Pray to God while also being thankful -with an attitude of gratitude. Thanksgiving is a key to gaining victory over our anxiety, since it deliberately shifts our focus from our current worries to the mighty works of God.
The last aspect is presenting our requests. The Apostle Paul says, “Let your requests be made known to God.” This instructs us to make known to God the specific needs we have. We should bring our particular requests to Him, whatever is troubling us.
Bringing specific requests to God is illustrated in the parable Jesus told about prayer in Luke 11. A person who is hosting a friend, but lacks food to feed him, goes to another person to seek what is needed. This host did not ask merely for food, but specifically, for bread. Moreover, he asked specifically for three loaves. He makes specific requests and receives what he needs. So it should be that believers bring similar requests to God in prayer.
Matthew Henry comments, “When anything burdens our spirits, we must ease our minds by prayer; when our affairs are perplexed or distressed, we must seek direction and support.” A consistent prayer life increases our peace about the Lord’s sovereign provision as we trust in God and not in our own plans. Let us always remember that God enjoys communing with us in prayer but that He has the right to answer our prayer as He wills.
It is helpful to know that Paul’s words about not being anxious in Philippians 4:6 encourage us as believers to convert our anxiety into prayer, the means of ongoing, trusting conversation with our God who is also our Father.
What are the specific needs in your life? What has been weighing you down? What is burdening you? Whatever you answer to those questions, that is the ground where anxiety will flourish, if unchecked and unchallenged. But this also is the ground where dependence, trust and joy may grow, if you pursue dependent prayer. Will you bring your requests to the Lord in prayer? By thinking about these four aspects, we understand how God uses prayer as a part of his prescription for anxiety. Presenting requests in prayer provides an outlet for anxiety (1 Peter 5:7). Doing so “with thanksgiving” is itself an antidote to worry.
Lastly, we see in verse 7, Paul says that as we remember the Lord is near and commit everything to God in prayer, the peace of God will guard our hearts and minds.
The word for peace means an inner tranquility of the soul. It is an inner calm that settles the turbulence of troubled hearts. The result of casting our burdens on the Lord is to be unstressed and undisturbed; or, as Paul says, to know a peace that surpasses all understanding. No matter how your prayer is answered, taking your concerns to God in prayer brings his abundant, supernatural peace.
God’s peace commands our anxious thoughts to leave and prevents new ones from entering. Paul Tautges points out in his devotional: This inner peace has three qualities. First, it is an indescribable calm. It eludes adequate description -it surpasses all understanding. It is a peace that the world cannot understand or furnish. Jesus says,” peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid” (John 14:27).
The second quality of this peace we see is it protects emotional and mental stability. The apostle Paul assures us that this peace “will guard your hearts and your minds.” This reminds us of a wonderful promise: “you keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you” (Isaiah 26:3). When our attention is fixed on the Lord, his peace watches over our hearts and minds. The word used for “guard” is a military term describing a soldier who watches over a prisoner. While Paul was writing this letter, he was being guarded by a pretorian guard, the most elite soldiers in the Roman Empire. However, he was also being guarded in a far more secure way - God was protecting his heart so that anxiety and fear would not enter it. Fear was being denied entrance into his heart.
It reminds me of the tomb of the unknown soldier at Arlington National Cemetery. The tomb is watched over 24/7 by military sentinels. It is quite a picture of protection and security to see the sentinel always on guard. When preceded by prayer, the peace of God is always standing watch like a sentry over your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. The entire inner person is being fortified against the attacks of worry. The Christian who prays dependently is guarded against the enemy of anxiety.
The third quality of this peace is it belongs to believers only. This peace guards the hearts and minds of those who are in Christ Jesus. Paul specifies that this peace is found in Christ Jesus. Jesus had promised, “peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; Not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful” (John 14:27). This peace comes not from this world or anything in it. Instead, it comes down from above, like a surging river into troubled hearts, and such peace is found exclusively in Christ Jesus. There is not a drop of genuine peace outside of Him, nor a moment of relief apart from resting in him. All peace and all comfort are found in Christ and in him alone.
To be in Christ means to be united to him by faith. Only when we are connected to Jesus can his peace reign in our hearts. This indescribable calm cannot be experienced by the unsaved person, because it comes from the Holy Spirit. If you are not at peace with God, you will never be able to experience the peace of God. Being at peace with God means that your sins have justly been dealt with on the cross of Calvary. It means that you trust in Jesus Christ as your crucified and risen Lord and savior who has made peace with God for you. He is the only mediator between God and sinners. Are you at peace with God? If not, you cannot even begin to overcome anxiety. Spiritual peace is found only in Christ Jesus. If you are not a Christian, turn to Jesus in faith today. If you already know Jesus Christ, then rest in the peace that God has provided.
Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection radically change our encounter with anxiety. Through peace with God, we can experience the peace of God. Are you experiencing this peace? Do you need this kind of inner tranquility? It is found exclusively in trusting Jesus Christ and is obtained through prayer. We must come before his throne of grace and pray. We must commit our problems and trials to the Lord. He supplies a perfect peace that surpasses all understanding. If you are outside of Christ, you actually have much reason to worry - more than you realize if you consider eternity. But if you will come to Him, He will receive you and forgive you, and you will become the recipient of His abiding peace, which is experienced only in life with Him. Those who are redeemed by the blood of the lamb find security in his promise: “in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world (John 16:33).
Let’s pray.
Anxiety and worry are distress responses to the circumstances of life in this fallen world. The Bible teaches they are the results of fear—the fear of man, the fear of loss, or the fear of the future. Everyone deals with anxiety and worry in some form at some point in their lives. We all face things (stresses, troubles, trials, decisions) about which we can become anxious. Anxiety occurs and grows as our worldly cares, concerns, and problems overshadow our trust in God’s promises and cause us to fear. Or to put it another way, because of sin, our mind fearfully focuses on our stress, troubles, trials, and problems rather than remembering God’s promises.
However, Scripture is clear that we are not to be anxious. We are not to let the cares or troubles of this world lead us into anxiety. And yet, we seem to constantly be faced with things that cause us to succumb to anxiety and worry.
In Scripture, God promises to be with His people; that He will never leave us or forsake us. He promises to work all things out for our good and His glory. And it is Jesus Christ who is the fulfillment of the promises of God, and it is Christ through which we obtain those promises.
God has shown that all His promises are true and find their yes in Christ. By our justification through Christ, we are assured of our peace with God and His care for us. Therefore, we can experience the peace of God.
And because Jesus assures us of God’s presence with us, we do not have to fear and be anxious or worry when troubles arise.
Philippians 4:6-7 describes the “peace of God” as the opposite of anxiety. The peace of God comes when we have peace with God and enjoy access to Him. His presence brings peace. In these verses the apostle Paul teaches us how to deal with and fight anxiety so that we may experience the peace of God more and more. So how do we do this? We fight anxiety when we remember the Lord is at hand and we engage in God-centered prayer. As we do these things, the peace of God will guard our hearts and minds.
Let’s look at these together now. Paul sets up verses 6-7 with the simple statement – The Lord is at hand. If we remember that the Lord is at hand, we will find it difficult to be anxious. There is some debate among commentators about the exact meaning Paul has in mind here. He could mean that the Lord is near in the sense that He is present with us by His Spirit to comfort and strengthen us, or he could mean that Christ is near in the sense that His return is imminent. It seems that Paul could actually be referring to both aspects of Christ’s nearness. We should not be anxious because our Savior will be with us and will make us strong enough to endure all that comes our way. But we also should not be anxious because Jesus could come at any moment; this world will not last forever, and all of our worries will give way to eternal peace and joy in the new heaven and earth.
Either way, the presence of the Lord in the lives of believers offers great comfort and peace. Think of a child. When a child is scared, they want their mom or dad. They are comforted by the fact that they are not alone. They believe that no matter what situation or threat that comes, being with their mother or father is the safest place to be. Throughout my life as a parent, I have seen this principle played out over and over. There have been times when a child of mine is frightened of something or anxious about going and doing something. And quite often I've found that all they need is simply my wife or I to be with them. If you have children, think of all the times that child has come into your room in the middle of the night scared of something. Or if you don't have children, think of the times you went into your parents’ room when they were sleeping because you were frightened. What is the typical request of the child? Can I sleep in your bed? I just need to be near you. I just need to be in your presence. Your presence comforts me.
That is the idea Paul is expressing here. God's presence is with his people and will always be with his people. If we could just remember, the Lord is at hand, then we could fight our fears and anxiety much more effectively. Christian, do you remember your Lord is near? If you have never trusted in Christ, know that when you turn to Christ in faith, He promises to be with you, now and forevermore. You will never face any stress, trial, trouble, or struggle alone. And what if you have turned to him in faith, but from time to time you forget to remember the Lord is at hand? God's grace is sufficient even when our faith and memory are insufficient. That is the extent of the great love and kindness of the Lord who is at hand.
In light of the reality that the Lord is near, Paul issues the command Do not be anxious in verse six. Each other part of the passage is Paul’s teaching on how to not be anxious. The command to not be anxious is an action to continue being done every moment of the believer’s life. Jesus taught the same in Matthew 6. In Matthew 6:34, Jesus says, “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” Paul and Jesus are saying, stop being worried. Instead, trust God. Trust in His sovereignty and plan and do not fear. It echoes the beautiful promise of Isaiah 43, “But now thus says the Lord, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: ‘Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine.”’
The word Paul uses for “anxious” means to be troubled with cares. The idea is literally to be pulled in different directions, or to be pulled apart. The picture is to suffer the tension of your hope pulling in one direction and the trials of life pulling in the opposite direction.
This does not mean that we should not be concerned about issues in our lives amid difficulties. Yet Paul stresses that believers must not be pulled apart and strangled of peace and joy - we must not be anxious and worried.
That being said, we must carefully distinguish between forms of anxiety based on what we do when our hearts are weighed down with cares or fears. There is a sanctified response to anxiety—a right concern for the things of God in the lives of the people of God.
I like how biblical counselor and pastor James D’Souza distinguishes anxiety from appropriate biblical concern. He says, “Biblical concern is an appropriate response to our daily troubles. Paul and Timothy had this type of concern for the churches which we see in passages like 2 Cor. 11:28 and Philippians 2:19. Jesus Himself demonstrated how not to sinfully act on anxieties in the garden of Gethsemane. When facing the prospect of being cut off from the presence of God on the cross, He pressed through His anguish of soul by trusting His Father.”
D'Souza goes on to point out that the ditches on either side of biblical concern are apathy and anxiety. When we stray from biblical concern, we do so either in the direction of ceasing to be concerned at all (apathy) or being concerned in an inordinate way (anxiety).” There are many things that arise in our lives that we should be concerned about. Having care and concern about things in our lives is appropriate. We see this principle expressed throughout Scripture, particularly in places like the book of Proverbs and Ecclesiastes. Proverbs 15:22 says, “Without counsel plans fail, but with many advisers they succeed.” Proverbs 21:5 says, “The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance,” And God certainly wants us to exercise godly wisdom, concern, and planning as we face issues or troubles.
For example, if we know that a major hurricane was going to impact Florence, it would be appropriate to plan and prepare for it. We would be concerned for our houses, properties, loved ones, etc. We would take appropriate precautions. Even so, it is possible that things could be damaged or even destroyed. So, as we prepare, we trust that God will be with us and whatever happens is not out of His control. Though we prepare, we do not fear. However, it is also possible that biblical concern could veer off into anxiety and worry. We could become overwhelmed with fear and worry. We could say that we are trusting that God is in control, but our heart and mind are not fully convinced. We may anticipate the worst possible scenario and fear the outcome. We doubt God’s promise to be with His people and to work all things out for their good and His glory. That includes the things that we fear or worry about.
Well, we might say to ourselves, just stop being anxious then. We grit our teeth and try with all our might to stop worrying. Is that the answer? That is not what Paul teaches here. Paul continues in verses six and seven by giving the prescription for dealing with and fighting anxiety. The second half of verse six says, “but in everything, by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.”
Simply put, one of the primary tools for battling anxiety is prayer. Paul Tautges, in his devotion Knowing God’s Peace, describes four aspects of what prayer includes and how it is the prescription for and weapon against anxiety.
He points out that the first aspect is worship of God through prayer. The more we pray about everything, the more we consciously submit our lives to the Lord. The more we worry, the more we trust in our own ability to control things - or even people. As a result, we often end up worshipping our heart’s idols - whatever makes us feel safe or in control.
The second aspect is supplication. This aspect is bringing all our needs to God, because he's fully able to meet them. Supplication implies that we have been provoked by the realization that we lack something essential. In prayer, we bring our needs to God - not because he is unaware but because we need to acknowledge our dependence on him.
The third aspect is to always be grateful. We should pray with thanksgiving. Pray to God while also being thankful -with an attitude of gratitude. Thanksgiving is a key to gaining victory over our anxiety, since it deliberately shifts our focus from our current worries to the mighty works of God.
The last aspect is presenting our requests. The Apostle Paul says, “Let your requests be made known to God.” This instructs us to make known to God the specific needs we have. We should bring our particular requests to Him, whatever is troubling us.
Bringing specific requests to God is illustrated in the parable Jesus told about prayer in Luke 11. A person who is hosting a friend, but lacks food to feed him, goes to another person to seek what is needed. This host did not ask merely for food, but specifically, for bread. Moreover, he asked specifically for three loaves. He makes specific requests and receives what he needs. So it should be that believers bring similar requests to God in prayer.
Matthew Henry comments, “When anything burdens our spirits, we must ease our minds by prayer; when our affairs are perplexed or distressed, we must seek direction and support.” A consistent prayer life increases our peace about the Lord’s sovereign provision as we trust in God and not in our own plans. Let us always remember that God enjoys communing with us in prayer but that He has the right to answer our prayer as He wills.
It is helpful to know that Paul’s words about not being anxious in Philippians 4:6 encourage us as believers to convert our anxiety into prayer, the means of ongoing, trusting conversation with our God who is also our Father.
What are the specific needs in your life? What has been weighing you down? What is burdening you? Whatever you answer to those questions, that is the ground where anxiety will flourish, if unchecked and unchallenged. But this also is the ground where dependence, trust and joy may grow, if you pursue dependent prayer. Will you bring your requests to the Lord in prayer? By thinking about these four aspects, we understand how God uses prayer as a part of his prescription for anxiety. Presenting requests in prayer provides an outlet for anxiety (1 Peter 5:7). Doing so “with thanksgiving” is itself an antidote to worry.
Lastly, we see in verse 7, Paul says that as we remember the Lord is near and commit everything to God in prayer, the peace of God will guard our hearts and minds.
The word for peace means an inner tranquility of the soul. It is an inner calm that settles the turbulence of troubled hearts. The result of casting our burdens on the Lord is to be unstressed and undisturbed; or, as Paul says, to know a peace that surpasses all understanding. No matter how your prayer is answered, taking your concerns to God in prayer brings his abundant, supernatural peace.
God’s peace commands our anxious thoughts to leave and prevents new ones from entering. Paul Tautges points out in his devotional: This inner peace has three qualities. First, it is an indescribable calm. It eludes adequate description -it surpasses all understanding. It is a peace that the world cannot understand or furnish. Jesus says,” peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid” (John 14:27).
The second quality of this peace we see is it protects emotional and mental stability. The apostle Paul assures us that this peace “will guard your hearts and your minds.” This reminds us of a wonderful promise: “you keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you” (Isaiah 26:3). When our attention is fixed on the Lord, his peace watches over our hearts and minds. The word used for “guard” is a military term describing a soldier who watches over a prisoner. While Paul was writing this letter, he was being guarded by a pretorian guard, the most elite soldiers in the Roman Empire. However, he was also being guarded in a far more secure way - God was protecting his heart so that anxiety and fear would not enter it. Fear was being denied entrance into his heart.
It reminds me of the tomb of the unknown soldier at Arlington National Cemetery. The tomb is watched over 24/7 by military sentinels. It is quite a picture of protection and security to see the sentinel always on guard. When preceded by prayer, the peace of God is always standing watch like a sentry over your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. The entire inner person is being fortified against the attacks of worry. The Christian who prays dependently is guarded against the enemy of anxiety.
The third quality of this peace is it belongs to believers only. This peace guards the hearts and minds of those who are in Christ Jesus. Paul specifies that this peace is found in Christ Jesus. Jesus had promised, “peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; Not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful” (John 14:27). This peace comes not from this world or anything in it. Instead, it comes down from above, like a surging river into troubled hearts, and such peace is found exclusively in Christ Jesus. There is not a drop of genuine peace outside of Him, nor a moment of relief apart from resting in him. All peace and all comfort are found in Christ and in him alone.
To be in Christ means to be united to him by faith. Only when we are connected to Jesus can his peace reign in our hearts. This indescribable calm cannot be experienced by the unsaved person, because it comes from the Holy Spirit. If you are not at peace with God, you will never be able to experience the peace of God. Being at peace with God means that your sins have justly been dealt with on the cross of Calvary. It means that you trust in Jesus Christ as your crucified and risen Lord and savior who has made peace with God for you. He is the only mediator between God and sinners. Are you at peace with God? If not, you cannot even begin to overcome anxiety. Spiritual peace is found only in Christ Jesus. If you are not a Christian, turn to Jesus in faith today. If you already know Jesus Christ, then rest in the peace that God has provided.
Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection radically change our encounter with anxiety. Through peace with God, we can experience the peace of God. Are you experiencing this peace? Do you need this kind of inner tranquility? It is found exclusively in trusting Jesus Christ and is obtained through prayer. We must come before his throne of grace and pray. We must commit our problems and trials to the Lord. He supplies a perfect peace that surpasses all understanding. If you are outside of Christ, you actually have much reason to worry - more than you realize if you consider eternity. But if you will come to Him, He will receive you and forgive you, and you will become the recipient of His abiding peace, which is experienced only in life with Him. Those who are redeemed by the blood of the lamb find security in his promise: “in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world (John 16:33).
Let’s pray.
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