Philippians 4:6-7
"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus."
These are oft quoted verses. And for good reason. They serve as a reminder of God's sovereignty, that we should take our fears and worries and lay them before Him. They are a promise of peace.
But as I read these verses this week, I paused over verse 7 - "And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus." I realized that these words are contradictory to how I typically think about peace.
I've always considered peace to be a state of being. I've never thought of peace as an active, action word. Yet this verse clearly states that the peace of God will guard our hearts and minds. Immediately the image of a sentinel forms in my mind; a guard on a castle wall armed and alert, watching the enemy lines for signs of movement. Smoke rises all around, and the drums of war beat a threatening rhythm, shaking the stone wall. After all, we are at war - a spiritual battle that will continue until Christ returns. But this jars with my preconceived notion of peace. Peace is the opposite of war.
But then another image comes to mind - a mountain valley covered in a carpet of lush green grass. Sunshine sparkles on the surface of a lake with a surface as smooth as mirror. My head is cushioned by the silky strands of grass and I stare up at the sky, too blue to be real. And I am perfectly at peace. Because nearby is my shepherd. He leans on his staff as a gentle breeze ruffles the leaves on the trees.
"...And the peace of God...will guard your hearts and minds..."
I cannot reconcile these two images in my mind. How can the peaceful shepherd in the valley protect me against the hordes on the other side of the mountains? Yet how can a soldier on the castle wall, battle-hardened and severe, bring me the peace of the sunlit valley?
"And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding..."
How quickly I forget that our God is not bound by my puny imaginings. Our God is fully just. Fully merciful. Fully Holy. He isn't broken into percentages - 20% mercy, 15% holiness, etc...He is 100% Just. 100% Merciful. 100% Holy.
...the peace of God...
Our God is multi-dimensional. Why wouldn't the peace that comes from Him be that way as well? Peace from the soldier AND peace from the shepherd. When my heart is weary and my soul yearns for rest, may I cry out to the God whose peace surpasses all understanding.
