Have you ever felt a sense of peace and excitement and you wonder the reason why? Maybe everything may be chaotic and nothing is going the way you wanted it to go but still you have this sense of excitement and peace that you can’t describe, and that nobody can understand considering what you going through? The first time I felt this, I really knew that Jesus got a hold of me, I knew that His spirit lived in me. This is the type of peace that can only be found in Christ. We all know that it’s easy to feel peaceful when everything is going right, and when you have everything figured out.
In Philippians chapter four when Paul is writing a letter to all the followers of Jesus in Philippi, he graciously starts with these words “Stand firm in the Lord, my beloved” (verse 1). Oh, how we desperately need to stand firm in the Lord, especially in the chaos and the hard times. When we don’t stand firm in the Lord, we start stressing out and our lives start to spin out of control.
“If my life isn’t cross-centered, my life is off-centered… and the warping spin leaves me sick”, Ann Voskamp writes. Sometimes you have to remind yourself to take a deep breath and tell yourself that God got this, and more than anything He is the best person that I can always count on no matter what.
The thing is, the hardest thing is to transfer what you know in your mind to your heart. I always have to remind myself stop stressing out, stop worrying and just lean harder on Him. “When we worry we are saying ‘I know the way my life is supposed to go, and God is not getting it right’. ~Timothy Keller But why is it hardest to preach to oneself? Why is it hardest to convince your heart that the same God that did a miracle for that friend of yours- the one you prayed for and things worked out perfectly, can do the same for you?
These lyrics by Josh Wilson resonate with me so much whenever I feel like I’m sinking in the sea of worries;
“Jesus calm my heart
Come near me please
Lord don’t let these worries get the best of me
Oh I believe, that You’re still here with me
Because You meant what You said when You said You’d never leave…” Carry me by Josh Wilson
Indeed You meant what You said when You said You would never leave me nor forsake me. “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” Hebrews 13:5 But how do we attain this peace? How do you reach a point where you feel really peaceful even when your world is crushing down?
I believe there are three things that have to be in place for us to attain this peace:
1. Wholehearted trust in God.
2. Staying in the Word to remind yourself of all His promises that are just for you, yes, you!!
3. Accepting all He gives because “The steps of a man are established by the Lord, when He delights in His way; though he fall, he shall not be cast head-long, for the Lord upholds his hand”. Psalm 37:23-24
There is a sense of security and peace that comes from fully trusting God, and being confident and truly knowing that He is there for you and with you each step. The joy of knowing that He is not busy somewhere else taking care of another person’s situation, but that He is there with you, comforting you, whispering over you over and over again how much He loves you, whispering over and over that He would never let you go no matter how far you ran and how good you can hide.
And one thing that you can be sure of? Whenever you put your complete trust in Him, you will undoubtedly have peace. “You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because He trusts in you.” Isaiah 26:3 This verse doesn’t say “great peace have those who have everything going for them” and it also doesn’t say “great peace have those who just had their prayers answered”. One thing to learn from Isaiah 26:3 is that our circumstances have nothing to do with our peace. So whenever you lose your peace? It’s because you lost your trust in the Lord.
The only way to stay sane in this world is to be in Christ.
Paul tells us in Philippians 4:4 “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice”. How do you rejoice in the Lord when you are faced with the worst trials? You praise God! We learn this from all the amazing men and women of God in the Bible. In Acts 16: 16-24, we see Paul and Silas commanding a spirit to come out of a slave girl, and because of that they are put in prison.
And verse 25 starts like this:
“About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them, and suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken. And immediately all the doors were opened, and everyone’s bond were unfastened”. (My heart is racing as I write this verse, do we even comprehend a bit of what praise to God can do? for not only our circumstances, but our hearts?!)
Oh God, You are worthy of our praise, now and forever!
Paul and Silas were not being bothered by the fact that they were in prison, they simply fixed their hearts and minds in Christ Jesus and all His wonder and glory! After Paul instructs us to rejoice in the Lord, he adds “Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand”. Yes, what I am going through may really suck and hurt, but is it going to matter eternally? Whatever you are worrying about today, would it matter if the Lord was to come that second or tomorrow? If not? Let us rejoice that the coming of the Lord is near and get our hearts ready!! What a joy?!!!
Consider this: “Our little time of suffering is not worthy of our first night’s welcome home to Heaven.”
Samuel Rutherford What do we do if we find ourselves in miserable circumstances then? Aren’t we supposed to do something about them? Paul tells us in verse 6: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God”. Yes, without a doubt, tell God that whatever you going through hurts, but after that thank Him for all He is for you and rest in His arms because whether you admit it or not He already has your present and future all figured out!
“The Lord will fulfill His purpose for me; Your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever. Do not forsake the work of Your hands” Psalm 138:8 Oh God, thank You for being more than we will ever deserve!!
Now guess what will happen as you rejoice in the Lord (verse 4), present your requests to the Lord (verse 6), remember that what is important is that the Lord is at hand (verse 5)? Something quite beautiful happens after all these? you can you feel it too, right?!! Oh Joy!! “And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:7).
Trust Him and He will surely guard your mind and heart in Christ Jesus. I can’t say that He will answer you right away, but I know He may answer you in another area and you may not see where He is exactly answering you because you are so focused on that one area that you are so desperate to get an answer for.
I pray that God’s peace and grace continue to surprise us as we continue to trust Him and praise Him for all that He is and all that He has been for us in the past.