Week of Monday November 10 – November 16
Path to Peace – Man as Chaplain
Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. - Philippians 4:4-7
This week we observed Veterans Day by honoring the living heroes who protected and defended our liberties and enabled us to live in peace. As a veteran soldier, whose comrades in arms are getting fewer in number as I seem to be getting older, I treasure the relationships with those who are still living. I hope you will take the time to thank and bless the veterans who are in your circle of relationships and even the ones you happen to meet. If you are grateful for the peace we enjoy as a nation, praise God and then thank a veteran.
In these particular verses in Philippians 4, Paul is talking about the path to a different kind of peace, the “peace of God.” We all know the Hebrew word shalom, the word for "peace" in the Old Testament. It refers not just to the absence of conflict but primarily to the presence of wholeness, wellbeing, complete welfare. It covers the total of God's blessings to a person who belongs to Him. The New Testament word for peace speaks of a right relationship with God through Jesus Christ and living in a state of wellbeing through the presence of the Holy Spirit.
Now that sort of peace sounds wonderful, doesn’t it? Sadly, most people never experience it. Instead of a secure sense of peace, wellbeing, and tranquility, most experience fear, anxiety, and worry. Unfortunately, “Hurry, Worry, and Bury” is a phrase that sums up the lives of most Americans. Everybody worries. In fact, if we don't worry, we're probably worried that we aren't worried. And if we do worry, we're probably worried that we worry too much. All of us are at war with worry.
And that’s nothing new. Paul wrote this nearly 2,000 years ago. The good news is that Paul gives us a path to peace in this passage. The steps are in verse 6 “do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” First, stop worrying about the things you can't change or control, and start praying about them instead. Try this. Take a piece of paper and make out a worry list. Write down all the stuff you are worried about, then turn it into a prayer list and start turning each thing listed over to God. Paul says: “Pray about everything.”
The second step on the path to peace is to be thankful for all things (very appropriate for this season of giving thanks). It should become a part of our everyday prayer life. Notice the end of verse 6, “with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” When you come to God in prayer about your problems, come with thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is faith turned inside out because when we begin to trust the Lord, we'll begin to thank the Lord. Think about it. It is tough to have a worried heart and a thankful heart at the same time. Praying with thanksgiving let’s God know that you trust him to work it out and you are grateful for it. Remember, Romans 8:28? So, we don’t thank Him because all things are good, we thank Him because God is good. For those who love the Lord, He is engineering all things for our good and His glory. As Chaplains, it is vitally important to communicate that truth with those we love and lead.
So, the steps to peace are worry about nothing, but pray about everything, and thank God in all things. That brings us to the promise in verse 7, “And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” The Greek word translated "guard" or "keep" means to post a military sentry on guard duty to stand watch over you. That’s something I know about firsthand. Paul is saying you don't keep this peace, this peace keeps you. It guards you. When Paul wrote this, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, he had a Roman guard chained to his wrist. So, Paul is saying: "Just like this Roman soldier is guarding me, the peace of God will guard you. It will stand watch over your hearts and minds!" Wow, the God of the universe sends His peace to stand guard over you. What a promise!
- Do you let worry and anxiety get the best of you? Try turning your “worry list” into a “prayer list?”
- When your family and friends watch you go through a tough time, do they see you turn to God in prayer, and do they hear you give thanks to God while He is working things out?
- Ask God to help you turn your back on worry and turn your face to Him in prayer and thanksgiving. Ask Him to send His peace to stand guard over you and yours.
Path to Peace – Man as Chaplain
Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. - Philippians 4:4-7
This week we observed Veterans Day by honoring the living heroes who protected and defended our liberties and enabled us to live in peace. As a veteran soldier, whose comrades in arms are getting fewer in number as I seem to be getting older, I treasure the relationships with those who are still living. I hope you will take the time to thank and bless the veterans who are in your circle of relationships and even the ones you happen to meet. If you are grateful for the peace we enjoy as a nation, praise God and then thank a veteran.
In these particular verses in Philippians 4, Paul is talking about the path to a different kind of peace, the “peace of God.” We all know the Hebrew word shalom, the word for "peace" in the Old Testament. It refers not just to the absence of conflict but primarily to the presence of wholeness, wellbeing, complete welfare. It covers the total of God's blessings to a person who belongs to Him. The New Testament word for peace speaks of a right relationship with God through Jesus Christ and living in a state of wellbeing through the presence of the Holy Spirit.
Now that sort of peace sounds wonderful, doesn’t it? Sadly, most people never experience it. Instead of a secure sense of peace, wellbeing, and tranquility, most experience fear, anxiety, and worry. Unfortunately, “Hurry, Worry, and Bury” is a phrase that sums up the lives of most Americans. Everybody worries. In fact, if we don't worry, we're probably worried that we aren't worried. And if we do worry, we're probably worried that we worry too much. All of us are at war with worry.
And that’s nothing new. Paul wrote this nearly 2,000 years ago. The good news is that Paul gives us a path to peace in this passage. The steps are in verse 6 “do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” First, stop worrying about the things you can't change or control, and start praying about them instead. Try this. Take a piece of paper and make out a worry list. Write down all the stuff you are worried about, then turn it into a prayer list and start turning each thing listed over to God. Paul says: “Pray about everything.”
The second step on the path to peace is to be thankful for all things (very appropriate for this season of giving thanks). It should become a part of our everyday prayer life. Notice the end of verse 6, “with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” When you come to God in prayer about your problems, come with thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is faith turned inside out because when we begin to trust the Lord, we'll begin to thank the Lord. Think about it. It is tough to have a worried heart and a thankful heart at the same time. Praying with thanksgiving let’s God know that you trust him to work it out and you are grateful for it. Remember, Romans 8:28? So, we don’t thank Him because all things are good, we thank Him because God is good. For those who love the Lord, He is engineering all things for our good and His glory. As Chaplains, it is vitally important to communicate that truth with those we love and lead.
So, the steps to peace are worry about nothing, but pray about everything, and thank God in all things. That brings us to the promise in verse 7, “And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” The Greek word translated "guard" or "keep" means to post a military sentry on guard duty to stand watch over you. That’s something I know about firsthand. Paul is saying you don't keep this peace, this peace keeps you. It guards you. When Paul wrote this, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, he had a Roman guard chained to his wrist. So, Paul is saying: "Just like this Roman soldier is guarding me, the peace of God will guard you. It will stand watch over your hearts and minds!" Wow, the God of the universe sends His peace to stand guard over you. What a promise!
- Do you let worry and anxiety get the best of you? Try turning your “worry list” into a “prayer list?”
- When your family and friends watch you go through a tough time, do they see you turn to God in prayer, and do they hear you give thanks to God while He is working things out?
- Ask God to help you turn your back on worry and turn your face to Him in prayer and thanksgiving. Ask Him to send His peace to stand guard over you and yours.