A Thought For The Week Of January 15, 2018

“… the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:7) Sometimes, we all need peace. There are so many things that happen in the world and even in our own lives that are beyond our control; indeed, things that seem to spiral out of control. Often, it’s no fault of our own. We get weighed down by the pressures of life and by the unexpected pitfalls that come to us and we don’t know how to handle it. Sometimes we just make bad and even tragic decisions as life’s troubles play out. We hurt ourselves and we hurt others. Perhaps what I find most tragic is that there is a way out of the spiral. I could talk about all kinds of secular resources that are available to see us through those difficult times in our lives (and we should certainly be aware of them and make use of them) but I’m much more interested today in encouraging people to find “the peace of God.” Paul speaks of this as the peace “which transcends all understanding.” This peace is not comfort or quiet. It’s a peace we feel when things are closing in all around us and we can’t see a way out. For most people that’s a time to become desperate; a time to panic. But for those of faith there is another way, and a resource available to us. It’s “the peace of God.” It’s the peace that strengthened Jesus as he went to the cross – a time when he could have been lashing out at those around him, condemning those who had betrayed or abandoned him, falling into despair as his destiny approached; a time when he could have become out of control and uncontrollable. And yet, Jesus had “the peace of God.” It was a peace that allowed him to face what was coming with courage, to trust that his Father would see him through his fate, and to forgive those who had either abandoned or condemned him. None of us are Jesus, of course. None of us will ever face the sorts of trials that he faced; none of us have the intimacy with the Father that Jesus enjoyed. But, still, we are not helpless. God still reaches out to us, and there is peace available to those who can see beyond their immediate circumstances. “All who seek will find,” Jesus said. My prayer is that those who need peace will seek it from God. It is there. It will be given to you.