PHM Monthly Connect | Jan 2020

“And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:7 NIV).

The Rotherham Bible translates that verse in the following way: “and the peace of God which rises above every mind” and another translation (TCNT) reads, “which surpasses every human conception”.

The God to whom we pray and offer thanksgiving, whose ways are higher than ours, is unequivocally trustworthy. His peace accompanies our prayers and comes because prayer is an expression of trust. We do not need to have life all figured out in order to trust Him. We trust Him because we can’t figure things out and He’s the only one who has perfect knowledge. We must willingly surrender everything to Him and refuse to pick up what we have turned over to Him. Then the peace of God will work in our lives.

Sustaining peace is based on a consistent hope in and understanding of the promises of God. When we set our eyes on other things, we lose focus, hope and peace. The Apostle Paul told the Colossians, “Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth” (Col. 3:2 NKJV). I love how The Message translates that verse: “Don’t shuffle along, eyes to the ground, absorbed with the things right in front of you. Look up and be alert to what is going on around Christ-that’s where the action is. See things from His perspective.” We are not to ignore circumstances and pretend they don’t exist. Instead, we are to see them from Jesus’ point of view.

Our job is to focus on Jesus, the Living Word of God, and point others to Him. Circumstances are temporal; they are subject to change at any moment. Only God and His Word are eternal and unchanging. We cannot depend on circumstances to give us lasting peace.

Sustaining peace can only be found in the presence of the eternal unchanging God Almighty. He wants us to have it. “So God has given us both His promise and His oath. These two things are unchangeable because it is impossible for God to lie. Therefore, we who have fled to him for refuge can take new courage, for we can hold on to his promise with confidence” (Hebrews 6:18 NLT).

Triumphant Always,

Dr. Pat Harrison