Peace

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 NIV

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. John 14:27 NIV

There is a lot made of peace, especially at Christmastime and rightly so, because the Son of God came to earth as a baby to live, grow, and give us peace. He is the ‘Prince of Peace’ and not just for a season. There is only one letter missing in the phrase ‘Price of Peace’ and it tells us of the cost of that elusive thing we can’t quite grasp, ‘peace’.

Nations desperately need it. People need it, as do individual hearts. The verses show that we should not be anxious about anything, and that is a tall order, but the key is in the words ‘prayer and petition’. It’s good to want peace, but do we want it enough to lay hold of God and petition Him for it until He answers?

At a personal level, I have recently found myself saying something like, “I am at peace with that” and it conveys a deeply held belief that I accept the will of God in something I have prayed about, and the resulting answer has given peace. Not just a general peace, but specific to my prayer. In fact I will go further. God has answered in a way I had not thought possible, but better than I could have hoped, so peace naturally follows. Yes, I still get anxious, and yes I will still worry from time to time, but when I get an answer from God which gives me peace, I am more ready to believe that He will answer ‘over and above’ my prayer next time. He will provide the peace, and my faith grows. What a combination, and what a great God we serve!