Peace of Mind and Soul

 

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; 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 your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you. (Philippians 4:4-9 ESV).

 

The thought can be overwhelming at times: Can I just have a little peace? Perhaps it comes from a family member trying to escape the chaos of home life, a teacher bombarded with active children all day, or a medical patient caught in a whirlwind of tests, scans, appointments, insurance questions, and uncertain results. Stress takes its toll. Sometimes you just need a break in a beautiful place alone to figure it all out. What I have found is that the more I may need that “break” the more difficult it is to find. Mary and I are traveling to the mountains soon. We have chosen a cabin in the mountains near Gatlinburg as is our custom. The peaceful quiet is like a medicine to our souls. The problem is that we are not afforded the opportunity to go that often. So, how do I make do without being at that place?

 

The Bible speaks of “the peace of God” that can guard our hearts and minds is much more than the absence of noise or busyness. God’s peace, shalom, gives assurance that all is right in your soul, even if you can’t resolve all the issues affecting you or predict the outcome of anything at this point. God’s peace provides the assurance that God is still in control.

 

How do we find this peace? In our reading today the apostle Paul encourages followers of Christ to look above and beyond the problem: to simply pray about everything, thanking God for listening and answering according to his perfect will. We can then set our minds on the blessings around us—whatever is true, right, pure, lovely—and we can let go of our worries. That may sound too good to be true, like the catch phrase “Let go and let God.” When someone offers superficial sayings to a person who is suffering, it feels like salt in a wound. God promises to give peace to all who ask. Don’t even try to understand how it works; just trust that it does work… pray like that and find that place of peace.