The Peace of God
August 14, 2020
Louise Duval MA, LPC, LAC, CAC
There’s a lot of anxiety in our world right now and it’s easy to feel overwhelmed with all that is going on. However, God does not want us to feel overwhelmed and He has given us His Word to help us know how to cope. One passage that comes to mind when I feel anxious is Philippians 4:6-8. In these verses, we learn that God does not want us to be anxious about anything, but to bring all our requests to Him in prayer. So, when you feel worried, instead of focusing on the worry and allowing it to overwhelm you, turn your worries into a prayer, ask God to help you handle it, ask for His guidance, ask for His peace, and ask Him to remind you He is walking through it with you. As soon as you start to worry, start to pray. The second part of the verse is just as important and is often overlooked. We are told to present our requests with thanksgiving. Being thankful allows you to focus on the good things in your life and the blessings from God which will decrease your anxiety by changing your focus and perspective so instead of feeling anxious, you begin to feel thankful and are reminded about how good God is and how He has taken care of you before. The promise we are given if we do these things is that will have the “peace of God which transcends all understanding” to guard our hearts and minds. The peace we will feel as we learn how to do this is beyond what we can understand or explain, but it will be noticed by those around us. It is a peace that remains despite the circumstances. The last verse I mentioned is verse 8. I think it is fitting that it comes right after the pervious verses because in this verse we are told to focus on all the good things. Evaluate your life and write down anything right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy and when you feel anxious, pull out your list and focus on those things.
God wants us to experience His peace because He loves us and as we experience His peace, we bring glory to Him because other people see Him through us. Especially during this time, we can be ambassadors for Christ’s peace to a world that desperately needs it.
If you are finding your anxiety overwhelming, know that you are not alone. Any of the counselors at Bridge of Hope would love to talk to you and point you to the God who can give you peace.