What is peace?
Not too long ago, I realized I had an issue when it came to feeling peace. I began to worry why I had lost my grip on the “Peace that passes all understanding.” Instead of peace, I had worry and anxiety like never before. I found myself spending a large majority of my time crying, worrying, and completely falling apart. My peace was long gone.
I had a bad week. Truly, it was a no-good-very-bad week. No matter how hard I tried, I just kept getting knocked down by unwanted surprises. And as my worry mounted, so did my desire to run and hide from God. Instead of casting my cares upon Him, I just wanted to have my pity party.
Then, Sunday morning came.
After staying up way too late worrying over things I cannot fix, I really didn’t want to pop up and run to the church house. Reluctantly (and half awake), I grabbed a coffee and turned on some worship jams to try and wake up. I didn’t imagine I would get much out of the sermon due to my anxiety-induced sleep deprivation. Nevertheless, I walked into the sanctuary, found my seat, and prepared to listen to the Lord. And let’s just say, it didn’t take long for me to realize why I was there.
During our worship service, the choir sang songs such as “His Eye is on the Sparrow” and others that dealt with facing fear and knowing that He was ever-present. As my pastor stepped up to preach, the title of his sermon made me tear up – “Overcoming Anxiety.”
Ha. Isn’t He funny? If I’d ever doubted that He was an on-time God, I took it back at that moment. It felt as though the Lord was screaming, “I’m talking to you, Hannah. Listen to me and what I have planned for you! Stop running from me.”
In theory, the cure for anxiety in a believer’s life should be simple. We serve a good God who is peace. But often, we don’t want to let go of our plans and see what He has in store. We let our thoughts control us.
Don’t get me wrong. I understand the weight of anxiety. It is a big issue, and I don’t minimize its side effects. I fully believe in professional help, advice, and medication when needed. However, at least in my own life, I have found that when my anxiety mounts, it’s because I haven’t taken my “issues” to the throne.
In Philippians 4:4-9, Paul writes:
Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.
This is the cure for anxiety.
In these verses, there is a couple of words that just stick out to me. But the biggest is verse 7, “And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” When it comes to dealing with anxious thoughts, a lot of the time it’s because we don’t understand the situation. In this passage, Paul clearly reminds us that we are not supposed to understand everything. Rather, it is the peace of God that covers all of those uncertain moments. And not only that, He will guard our hearts if we let Him!
To receive this cure, we must come to Him in prayer. That is the key to receiving His peace and understanding. The Lord made our minds beautifully complex, but He still desires us to seek Him when facing our fear-filled thoughts. Those thoughts don’t produce our destiny; they are just a distraction.
I’m a firm believer that throughout the day, the Lord gives us small hidden treasures to remind us that He’s in control. Be attentive to His voice, and you will find the peace your heart desires. He’s listening. Are you? His eye is on the sparrow. Do you know He watches you?
