Key verse: “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]
Key idea: I am free from anxiety because I have found peace with God, peace with others and peace with myself.
Both the verse and idea are part of the Believe Study that many undertook recently. We all have had experiences over the last couple of months that have made our sense of peace difficult. As the restrictions we have dealt with begin to be relaxed, do we feel more at peace? Or is it true that we are concerned about the consequences of making changes too fast or without necessary precautions. We also are surrounded with varying opinions as to what’s the right course to take going forward.
The feeling of peace we all long for will become a natural result when things are right in our relationships. Our most important relationship is a reconciled relationship with God, made possible through Jesus. When we accept his offer of salvation, the conflict between God and us is eliminated. That now becomes the realistic source of peace in our relationships with others.
There are many Scripture passages that lay out how we are to do our part to promote peace in our relationships. The Holy Spirit enables us to achieve this. We are also called to live at peace with ourselves, which may be the hardest of all to accomplish. It requires that we take the things that burden and trouble us and give them to God. When we do, we declare that God is bigger than any of our problems and that the “peace of God, which transcend all understanding, will guard [our] hearts and [our] minds in Christ Jesus.”
Hymn: “Song of Hope”
May the God of hope go with us every day,
filling all our lives with love and joy and peace.
May the God of justice speed us on our way,
bringing light and hope to every land and race.
Praying, let us work for peace;
singing share our joy with all;
working for a world that’s new,
faithful when we hear Christ’s call.
Almighty God, I believe. Help my unbelief! Amen.
Rev. David Brosnan
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