Surpassing All Understanding

Philippians 4:7 - NIV

And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

As we roll into our new year I’m thinking of Peace.  I’m pretty sure most of us want peace…

• Peace in the world, not war
• Peace in our country, not hatred and fighting
• Peace in our families, not bickering and anger
• Peace in our hearts and minds, not angst, worry, and fear

Our verse today, seems to say that God offers this PEACE we are looking for.  But where is it?  Why don’t I feel it?  How do I find it?  How can it be implemented and how can it last?

What about all those people whose wants are not in line with my dream, my desire, my definition of peace?  Does all the turmoil need to be resolved for Peace to come and guard my heart and mind in Christ Jesus?

Thankfully, the answer is no.

This verse makes the promise that was extolled in Helen Lemmel’s 1922 hymn…

“Turn your eyes upon Jesus.  Look full in His wonderful face, and the things of the world will grow strangely dim, in the light of His Glory and Grace.”

The Peace of God is not a promise that the worry and bother and pain of this world will suddenly end.  That longed for Peace of God will stand strong, guarding our hearts and minds if we let God dwell in the center – in our soul.

Placing and holding God at the center of who we are, is the direct pathway to this Peace.  We must learn to follow Jesus, to withdraw as he did, to find solitude and time to pray, as he did.  And in our quiet time, alone with God, in prayer, we must listen for God’s comforting promises, for his Word of Peace to our hearts.  We must listen for God, instead of doing all the talking – you know, asking God for all the things we hope and wish for.  We need to put down that wish list and ask God for His Will, His Peace, His comfort.

If we pray for Peace, but then give God our list of all the things we need for our design of Peace – I think we might be very disappointed.  God’s peace may not look like our definition. 

“Go into your room and pray…your Father will hear you…and the Peace of God will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”  This doesn’t mean God will fix all your broken issues, give you all your worldly desires, or remove all your problems.  His plan is so much more than we can understand.  Instead of changing the world the way we want it changed, we need to trust the way God wants to change us.

Perhaps we’ve got our picture of peace all wrong.  So let’s turn our eyes upon Jesus, look full in his wonderful face, and let the things of the world grow strangely dim,” as we bask in the glow of his Grace.  Sitting in the light of that LOVE, we can feel our hearts and minds wrapped in PEACE.

And now, let’s pray…

Lord, help us to turn our eyes and hearts fully upon you, that we not only feel this beautiful Peace that passes all understanding; but that it overflows into our thoughts, our word and our actions, and that your Peace spills out into the world from us, as a shining example of your LOVE and promises.  Amen.                 

This devotion was written and read by Bernice Howard.

Grace for All is a daily devotional podcast produced by the members of the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. With these devotionals, we want to remind listeners on a daily basis of the love and grace that God extends to all human beings, no matter their location, status, or condition in life.

If you would like to respond to these devotionals in any way, we would enjoy hearing from you. Our email address is: podcasts@1stchurch.org.

First United Methodist Church is a lively, spirit-filled congregation whose goal is to spread the message of love and grace into our community and throughout the world. We are located on the web at https://1stchurch.org/.