Peace
By Lisa Boyer
“Be anxious for nothing, 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 comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
Philippians 4:6-7 (NASB)
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, PEACE, patience,
kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.”
By Lisa Boyer
“Be anxious for nothing, 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 comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
Philippians 4:6-7 (NASB)
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, PEACE, patience,
kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.”
Galatians
5:22-23 (NIV, emphasis added)
It was an uncomfortable
feeling, no, not uncomfortable, it was awful. I had knots in my stomach. Right
away, I knew what it was: anxiety. I was anxious. I quickly tried to figure out
why, but nothing came to me. As I contemplated my condition, Philippians 4:6
came to mind, “be anxious for nothing.” I laughed as I realized that in my
terrible state, I was being very biblical. I was, in fact, anxious about
nothing!
When times are tough, we go in search of peace. When we need God’s peace, we are quick to follow the whole verse of Philippians 4:6. We let our requests be made known to God by prayer and supplication. And we try our best to do it with thanksgiving. But when there are no obvious problems, do we need peace? Do we go in search of it? Or does it become the neglected fruit of the Spirit, sought after only when it becomes obviously missing, replaced with anxiety, sometimes without cause?
The other fruit of the Spirit…love, joy, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control…affect those around us in obvious ways. Peace can be so easily neglected. And yet, when peace is neglected, anxiety takes its place. And when we are anxious, can we truly display the other fruit? Anxiety affects our ability and tendencies to show love, to have joy, to display patience, to be kind, good, faithful or gentle and most certainly to exhibit self-control.
In Paul’s closing remarks to the Thessalonians, he said, “Now may the Lord of peace Himself continually grant you peace in every circumstance” (2 Thessalonians 3:16, NIV). Every circumstance. Good times, bad times, all the time.
Let’s proactively pursue peace today by taking everything to God in prayer, with thanksgiving.
GOING DEEPER:
1. Do you find yourself being anxious? Will you pray today and let your requests be made known to God with thanksgiving?
FURTHER READING:
Colossians 3:15; John 14:27
When times are tough, we go in search of peace. When we need God’s peace, we are quick to follow the whole verse of Philippians 4:6. We let our requests be made known to God by prayer and supplication. And we try our best to do it with thanksgiving. But when there are no obvious problems, do we need peace? Do we go in search of it? Or does it become the neglected fruit of the Spirit, sought after only when it becomes obviously missing, replaced with anxiety, sometimes without cause?
The other fruit of the Spirit…love, joy, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control…affect those around us in obvious ways. Peace can be so easily neglected. And yet, when peace is neglected, anxiety takes its place. And when we are anxious, can we truly display the other fruit? Anxiety affects our ability and tendencies to show love, to have joy, to display patience, to be kind, good, faithful or gentle and most certainly to exhibit self-control.
In Paul’s closing remarks to the Thessalonians, he said, “Now may the Lord of peace Himself continually grant you peace in every circumstance” (2 Thessalonians 3:16, NIV). Every circumstance. Good times, bad times, all the time.
Let’s proactively pursue peace today by taking everything to God in prayer, with thanksgiving.
GOING DEEPER:
1. Do you find yourself being anxious? Will you pray today and let your requests be made known to God with thanksgiving?
FURTHER READING:
Colossians 3:15; John 14:27
Lisa
has been married to Ted for more than 20 years and they have two teenage sons.
Lisa administers Fresh Start’s Facebook and blog, and loves hanging out with
and impacting teenage girls for Christ.
