Peace Surpassing All Understanding — Weekly Devotional

 Hello Readers!

I am Melody Polar, and I will be bringing y’all the weekly devotional today. In this devotional, we will be talking about peace. Let’s jump in!

I don’t know about y’all, but there is almost always chaos going on in my life. Whether it is an argument with my friends, a pile-up of school work, or a busy schedule, there always seems to be something pulling me down in discouragement. It is difficult to find peace in a busy life.

However, as a Christian, I can have peace that surpasses human understanding (Philippians 4:7). I don’t know about y’all, but I want a peace surpassing all understanding.

So what do we need to do to tap into this incomprehensible peace? Well, Philippians 4:4-6 give us a short list:

1. Rejoice in the Lord always (verse 4).

2. Be reasonable to everyone (verse 5).

3. Don’t be anxious (verse 6).

4. Pray to the Lord with both supplication and thanksgiving (also verse 6).

Like I said, it’s a short list, but the actions on the list are difficult for us as humans to accomplish! It’s hard to rejoice no matter what is going on, especially when you’re going through tough times. It’s hard to be reasonable to everyone, especially when they aren’t reasonable to you. It’s hard not to be anxious, especially when the cares of the world are culminating around you. And it's hard to thank the Lord when you look around and see troubles on every hand. In fact, the only action on this list that seems simple is praying to the Lord with supplication — asking Him for help.

However, perhaps it isn’t as simple as we think. Often when we make requests to God, we are demanding He make changes in our lives: "Lord, I want this trial to stop!" "Lord, You need to heal me!" "Lord, make my schedule less busy!" Often, making requests to God can turn into us complaining about the situation He has placed us in, leading us to plead with Him to take the situation away. 

So, making requests isn't much simpler than the other actions on the list. Besides the fact that the complaining parts go directly against Scripture (Do everything without grumbling — Philippians 2:14), complaining also goes against all the other actions on the list: You can’t complain and rejoice at the same time. You can’t be reasonable while complaining. Complaining goes with anxiety, so you can’t complain while not being anxious. And you definitely can’t be thankful while you’re complaining — those are complete opposites!

If the list is so hard, how can we find this peace then? Simple: turn to Jesus, and we can do it through Him! Philippians 4:13 states:

“I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.”

The actions on the list seem impossible to us because we are looking at them from a human standpoint,

“but with God all things are possible!”

(Matthew 19:26)

When we turn to Jesus, we can rejoice, we can leave anxiety behind, and we can indeed pray with thankfulness to the Lord! Jesus gives us joy, thankfulness, and the peace that surpasses all understanding. The best way to find peace is not to try to clear away the busyness. Instead, we need to turn to Jesus, and He will give us the peace we long for even during the times of chaos.

Let’s Pray:

Dear Lord,

Too often I find myself complaining to you about my life. Please forgive me for this terrible attitude I have toward You. Instead Lord, please remind me to lift up my heart in praise to You. Remind me that I can do all things with the strength that You give me. Change my heart from a distraught, ungrateful one to one that is constantly rejoicing in the truths of Your promises to me. Please fill my soul with Your peace.

 Lord, I praise You for the joy and peace that You give me! I rejoice in the fact that You have promised to grant me the strength I need to do anything! Help me to always remember that nothing is impossible with You.

In Jesus’ Name,

Amen 

Related Verses:

Luke 18:27

Isaiah 26:3

Romans 15:13

Related Songs:

Nothing Is Impossible — Eugene L. Clark

Rejoice in The Lord — Ron Hamilton

Peace — Galkin Evangelistic Team

Image: https://unsplash.com/photos/mountain-covering-with-clouds-nN1HSDtKdlw

— Melody❤