Peace That Passes All Understanding
Henry Omotayo
Peace That Passes All Understanding (Philippians 4:6-7)
Message No. 0513 | Twitter @GodandUs |
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When bad things happen to people, anyone with a soul would be touched, would be sad and would be sorry for the persons affected and for their loved ones. If anyone would look at occurrences like this and remain completely indifferent, then 1 Timothy chapter 4 verse 2(b) may have occurred. Every human being has, in his or her DNA, the ability to react (at least, implicitly) to certain situations in certain ways. The loss of this ability is akin to a seared conscience.
Now, the soul is not a mono-reactive component of the human being. Though the soul is sad, it is possible to have peace at the same time. However, this combination is usually reserved for those who know God. In Philippians 4:7, the Bible says:
And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
In this passage, we notice that this is not ordinary peace. This is the peace which surpasses all understanding. This means that this kind of peace beats all human knowledge and expectation. It means that ordinary human beings cannot understand it. This is the peace that is triggered when human beings expect you to react negatively but instead you just come out with a smile. The smile does not mean that you are happy, but it means that you are surrendered. It doesn’t mean that you are not bothered, but rather that you have decided that this is beyond your call. If you could do something to save the situation, you would, but you couldn’t. The fact that you are calm means that you know there’s Someone up there whose decision is final, and He never makes a mistake. And, not only is He supreme, He is also holy, and He loves you.
Job, in all of the troubles that befell him, could easily have ranted at God. When a bad thing happens once, some people might be able to stay calm, but when it happens repeatedly (as in the case of Job), it is difficult for any human being to contain an outburst. This is the reason Job’s friends advised him to curse God and die. But for Job, the answer was, No, I know my Redeemer lives. In the midst of sorrow and troubles, Job had peace that surpasses all understanding – no one around him could understand his composure.
Earlier this year I had a serious domestic accident and, the minute it happened, I was momentarily scared and helpless, especially that I was alone when it happened. All I could scream was ‘God, please help me.’ After some minutes, God granted me wisdom to move and call for help. The incident bedrid me for a period but family and friends rallied round me and provided much needed support. As serious as the incident was, I give God glory that I was mostly calm – I did not lose a sleep because of worry, if I couldn’t sleep, it was because of pain. I was later told that I didn’t worry because I wasn’t a medical person, meaning that I didn’t understand what the effect could have been.
It is possible that a lack of understanding could sometimes give peace, but often on the contrary, a lack of understanding mostly leads to worry. People worry about things they don’t know, because they are not sure what the outcome could be. The only place to find peace beyond understanding is in Christ and the reason behind this is that we know we have a God who is able to do much more than we can ask for. We know that we have a God who is never so busy to not see us or who is so tired of us that He stops caring. Our God is not handicapped. There is no situation that He cannot handle.
It is possible that, in your current circumstance, there is serious cause for worry. You just don’t understand what is happening and you don’t know what the outcome could be. You might be worried about yourself or about loved ones, about friends, about work or about business. Please remember that the Bible says we should cast all our cares upon God because He cares for us (1 Peter 5:7). A thousand may be falling at our side and ten thousand at our right hand, but it will not come near us (Psalm 91:7). No matter what your situation may be now, and in the future, I pray that our God will grant you peace that the world cannot understand. Have a wonderful week and God bless you!
PLEASE ACT NOW:
If you are yet to give your life to Christ, you do not have a covenant with God and His promises do not apply to you. To come under these promises, please surrender your life to Christ today, by praying this prayer:
Lord I know that I am a sinner and I am unable to save myself. I am sorry for my sins and I pray that you please forgive me. I am aware that Your Son Jesus died for my sins and I accept Him as my Lord and savior. I surrender my life unto you from this moment. Please take control of my entire being and help me to be obedient to your Word, going forward. Thank you, Lord, for hearing me. I have prayed in Jesus’ name. Amen.
If you prayed the foregoing prayer, you have just been born again. Please find a Bible believing church in your area and ask to see the pastor. Let him or her know that you have just given your life to Christ and s/he will guide you on next steps in your journey as a child of God. The Lord bless you!
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