Ignition Point Ministries | Jeremiah and Courtenay Bowser

 
 
You are here:Home arrow Blog arrow Jeremiah's Blog arrow Peace
Peace

[August 6th, 2007]

I like the idea of Philippians 4:6-7, and I appreciate the concept of peace that passes understanding. Having said that, I have never understood how to achieve peace that goes beyond my understanding. "Understanding" seems to be a pre-requisite for peace - I can have peace if I understand. Have you ever felt like that? I studied a little on this subject and learned a few things about what it takes to have that level of peace. 

In "The New Scofield Study Bible [NIV]", the term "Peace of God" is defined as: "inward peace, the state of the soul of the Christian who, having entered into peace with God, has committed all his anxieties to God through prayer and supplication with thanksgiving."

It seems that it is the responsibility of the believer to commit his/her anxieties to God. According to Dictionary.com, the word "commit" in this context is defined as, "to entrust, esp. for safekeeping; commend." So it is up to us to entrust our anxieties or worries to the Lord for safekeeping. I love the "for safekeeping" part. He doesn't just disregard what we are concerned with.

If you give something away, it means that you no longer have possession of it. Simply, if you commit all of your anxieties to the Lord, they are His to deal with. And we see in Matthew 6:25-30, that if He is capable of clothing the lilies of the field and providing food for the birds of the air, He is more than capable of taking care of us and the things we worry so much about. 
Phil 4:7 says that once we commit our anxieties to God, "the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." In this scripture, the word "keep" is special. According to the Strongs Concordance, the word "keep" in this verse means, "to guard, protect by a military guard, either to prevent hostile invasion, or to keep the inhabitants of a besieged city from flight" (The KJV New Testament Greek Lexicon)(Strongs number: 5432). That is pretty serious!

The Lord doesn't just assuage our concerns, but His peace guards our hearts and minds, preventing the hostile invasion of doubt and worry, and keeps us from turning away, even if our situation is besieged by worry and anxiety.

For me sometimes, committing my anxieties to the Lord is a daily activity. But I want nothing less than the peace He has promised, so that the decisions I make in my life come from a place of peace and trust in God and not from my small minded understanding, worry, doubt or disbelief. 
"committed." Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1). Random House, Inc. 06 Aug. 2007. <Dictionary.com http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/committed>.

 

 
 
< Prev   Next >

Join our EMAIL list

Store

Schedule Ministry

Donate