We live in a turbulent world that presents challenges to maintaining a peaceful soul. Peace seems out of reach. We often hear that peace is “elusive.” We not only have many of the same difficulties as past generations, but we have also added the complexities of living in an on-line, social media world.
Yet Scripture promises that as Christians we can experience God’s peace. One of the most precious promises is found in Philippians 4. “Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.” [vs 7 NLT]
That verse promises that God’s peace … one greater than anything we can understand … will guard our hearts and minds. But notice it begins with that little word “Then.” “Then refers to the preceding verse.
“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need and thank him for all he has done.” [vs6 NLT]
Instead of worrying, we pray. Instead of keeping things to ourselves, we tell our loving Father what we need. Instead of being ungrateful, we thank Him for all He has done. Those things work for us the peace of God that guards our hearts and minds.
We may not understand how prayer and thanksgiving bring peace to our souls – but they certainly do!