Suffering - Pt. 2

 

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).

 

We’ve asked the question in one way or another many times: Can’t I just have a little peace? I heard one man say that he much preferred to live in peace than merely “rest in peace”. And, it true. It may be the plea of 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. Our reading today speaks to that desire.

 

Over and over in the Scripture we see the writers speak of “the peace of God” that can guard our hearts and minds, this is much more than the absence of noise or busyness. God’s peace 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.

 

The real key is in how we find it. 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. But God promises to give peace to all who ask. Don’t even try to understand how it works; just pray. It really is the first step.