Unlocking Peace That Passes Understanding
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Photo by debbie hudson via Unsplash
I’ve struggled with worry off and on throughout my life, and seeking comfort, I’ve often turned to Philippians 4:6-7:
“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. 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” (NLT).
Yet as much as I love this passage, I’ve often felt tension when reading it because, though I usually obey the first part of this verse (tell God what I need) and I usually even manage to obey the first part of the next line (thank Him), I don’t always feel the peace that is promised to result.
UNLOCKING PEACE
Early this year, I turned to this passage once again, and once again I felt the tension between the promise and my lack of peace. Why is worry such a struggle and peace so elusive? I wondered.
But God met me that morning and revealed a key to peace I had been missing. As I read Philippians 4:6-7 for the 500th time, something new stood out to me. It was the phrase, “thank him for all he has done.”
I thought about how, when I'm praying, my thanks are often general: "Thank You for helping me…thank You for taking care of me…" But the New Living translation of this verse tells us specifically what to thank God for: all He has done. In other words, thank Him for every little thing you can think of that He has done, don’t just say a general broad “thank you.”
So, I started remembering and thanking God for all the specific ways He's taken care of me in the past. I thanked Him for saving my life that time I got trapped under a canoe, for providing the technology I need to reach more people and run my ministry more efficiently, for specific friends, connections, and opportunities, and so on. I also thanked Him for things He’s done for other people, including people in the Bible. After all, it says all He’s done, not just all He has done for me!
As I got really specific, something happened: my fears were soothed and my heart began to settle. Remembering all God has done reassured me that, just as He has been faithful in the past, He will be faithful in the future.
POSTURE OF PRAISE
Sometimes I think it can feel like being thankful is something we’re “supposed to do,” as if it’s an obligation or a duty. But the reality is, being thankful is a blessing to us because it’s a conduit for joy and peace. If you’re longing for more peace in your life, I hope you’ll try getting really specific about what you’re thankful for. You might even find a notebook and start writing down everything you can think of that God has done for you. Then, when you need a boost of encouragement, you can pull out your notebook and remind yourself of God’s faithfulness. I started an answered prayer/gratitude journal earlier this year and it’s been so helpful.
Our celebration of Thanksgiving this week is a great opportunity to jump-start our giving-thanks-for-all-He-has-done prayer practice, but let’s not stop there—let’s do our best to carry our thankful posture through the end of the year and beyond!
Happy Thanksgiving! And as always, you are in my thoughts and prayers, and I’d love to hear from you! You can contact me here or through the comment section below.
In purpose and faith,
P.S.
Here are a few other posts on peace I’ve written that you might find encouraging!
Digging Deeper to Uproot Worry
Do You Want to Feel More Peaceful? Do These Three Things
3 Powerful Prayer Focuses Jesus Taught For Effecting Change And Promoting Peace
From Panicked To Peaceful: Nine Steps That Transformed My Mornings
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