“Peace! Peace! Wonderful peace, Coming down from the Father above.” That beautiful imagery can become a reality as we act on the truths in Philippians 4:6-9, which show us how to live with God’s peace: we pray, we have the best thought life, and we take action on God’s Word.
Prayer is an antidote to living with anxious and troubling thoughts, which is the opposite of living with God’s peace.
Philippians 4:6,7:
Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
In verse 6, to “be careful” means to be anxious or troubled with cares. This would be the opposite of living with God’s peace. God’s Word says to be anxious for nothing. Therefore, it’s available to not be anxious or troubled about anything. So how do we live that way? The antidote for being anxious is right here in this section of scripture in Philippians 4.
Verse 6 continues, “but in every thing by prayer.” This word “prayer” refers to personal devotion to God, acknowledging His power. God is all-powerful, all-knowing, and everywhere present. When we begin to feel unpeaceful, our first response can be to pray, maintaining the proper perspective that our God is bigger and more powerful than any anxious thoughts that are threatening to disturb our peace. Verse 6 then adds “and supplication,” which refers to getting specific with God about what our personal need is.
The final phrase of Philippians 4:6 is “with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.” When attacked by troubling cares and anxieties, we can call on our all-knowing, all-powerful God and thank Him that the need is already supplied. The result will be God’s peace as it says in verse 7.
Philippians 4:7:
And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
Many times it is the unknowns—the “what-ifs”—that disturb our peace. But God is all-knowing. He perfectly knows all the details in life and is therefore Himself free from all anxiety and cares. As we make our requests unto Him, a measure of the peace He has will keep us from being full of anxieties and cares. Because of the accomplishments of Christ Jesus, we can have that unwavering peace that passes all understanding to keep, or guard, our hearts and minds.
Philippians 4:8 adds to the how of living in peace by showing us what to think in order to have the very best thought life.
Philippians 4:8:
Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.
In this list, God highlights what is the very best for our thought life, the best investment of our mental energy. Thoughts in these categories help us stay quiet on the inside. But it doesn’t end there. In addition to prayer and having the very best thought life, a necessary element to living with God’s peace is to take action on the Word.
Philippians 4:9:
Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me [the Apostle Paul], do: and the God of peace shall be with you.
The believers not only heard Paul teach God’s Word, they also saw him do God’s Word. He imitated Christ and he faithfully lived the Word, providing an example for the believers. He told them that as they followed his example, the God of peace (untroubled, undisturbed well-being) would be with them. We too hear the Word, then walk out on it. We do it! We take action and see the results!
The God of peace, the God Who has made peace and Who gives peace, shall be with us! In verse 7 we have the peace of God, which passes understanding, and in verse 9 we have the God of peace with us. We are encircled in His peace. As we not only “think on these things” but also act on them, we can be undisturbed in God’s peace.
Philippians 4:6-9 show us how to live with God’s peace. When anxious and troubled thoughts threaten to disturb our peace, we can pray, acknowledging our God as bigger and more powerful than any challenge we may face. We get specific with our personal need and thank God that the need is already supplied. This allows us to not get full of anxiety, but to have a peace that passes understanding. As we focus our thoughts and actions on things that are true, honest, just, pure, lovely, of good report, and that have virtue and praise, we can rest in the reality that the God of peace is with us! And that is peace, peace, wonderful peace, coming down from the Father above.
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