Read the transcript from today's video devotional.
We have a powerful verse today. When this verse is lived out, I have seen have such a tremendous ripple effect across so many different lives because of them demonstrating this verse, Philippians chapter 4 verse 7:
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.
Notice that when it says, Then you will experience God's peace. I think if we wrote this today, it'd be, then we all experience God's peace when you have the most beautiful music playing, candles lit, a hot bath running, you’re getting a massage, or you’re out fishing. It's this serene atmosphere that you can picture. Then you will be at peace, right?
Let's look at the context of this verse. Because when it says in verse 7, our Verse of the Day, Then you will experience peace, let's look at what it's talking about. In the prior verses it says: Don't worry about anything. Instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need and thank Him for all He's done.
It's like, whoa, wait a second. I don't hear anything about a peaceful environment where everything is going great and dandy and wonderful, and you just sit there and close your eyes in the serene place of life. It's just not reality, right? We may have those moments, and they are few and far between.
Unexplainable Peace
That's what's amazing about the power of this verse, because it doesn't say that everything's great. It doesn't say that if everything's perfect, then you'll experience God's peace. That's the beauty of what it says: Which exceeds anything we can understand—the peace of God that exceeds anything we can understand.
That's where I have seen people's testimony come into play. Some people are in the midst of the most tragic, difficult situations where they demonstrate peace that does not make sense. It just doesn't. There is nothing in their life that demonstrates or should produce peace in their life. Yet when they demonstrate this, we wonder, how? How is that possible? How do you have this kind of peace?
The Foundation: Trust
A big part of it is, if you look at that prior verse and picked one word that could describe it all, it is trust. They have that kind of peace because they trust the Lord. That's why I love that it even ends the prior verse with, Thank God for what He has done. If you look around you and you realize the things that He's already done, it puts everything you're going through into perspective. Now you can trust. You can trust Him through it.
I love the story of the disciples in the boat with Jesus, and He's asleep in the back. The disciples wake Him up and say, Lord, there's this huge storm. There's waves all over. How in the world can You be sleeping right now? He gets up and He rebukes the storm, and the calm comes. He talks to them about their faith and challenges them about trusting Him.
Now imagine the next time they're in that situation and a big storm is happening. Imagine where they would be because they remember what Jesus already did. This guy has the wind and the waves and everything else obey Him. That's part of looking back to see what God's doing in your life and has done in your life.
Walking in His Peace
To have peace, to say, you know what? This does not make sense right now. This is not serene. This is not nice. But I know the One that controls the storm in my life. And I know He loves me. He is going to get me through it.
I would just encourage you: Don't just focus on peace. Focus on trusting Him. Look for ways to thank Him for what He's already done, those storms He's already calmed in your life, and allow God to give you a peace that just doesn't even make sense, and let Him walk with you through it today.
Enjoy His presence as He overwhelms you with His peace that doesn't make sense, so that others can see there's something different about you because of what God's done in your life, and you can trust Him through it.
