How to Experience God’s Peace

Philippians 4:2-9

There are amazing teachings in this passage. Let’s take it verse by verse.

Verse 2 tells us that there are times when we as Christians need to intercede in the disagreements between other Christians – especially when those disagreements are caused by a disagreement about faith issues. And for those who do not think women should be teaching men – well these are women and they appear to be deacons in the church (but that’s another topic for another time).

I know of churches that set up courts just so prayer would be involved and decisions could be passed on disagreements. The best formula is given by Christ when he says:

"If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over. But if he will not listen, take one or two others along, so that 'every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.' If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, treat him as you would a pagan or a tax collector. Matthew 18:15-17 (NIV)

This is a rather simple formula that we complicate and many end up creating camps for their sides instead of using godly wisdom and prayer. The key is prayer and even using people who do not agree with us as intermediaries.

Both of these women helped Paul in ministry and were honored in the church. In fact they did more than help. Paul says they contended in the spread of the gospel. To contend is a word meaning that these women presented valid arguments and discussions about the faith. Their input and service was valued by Paul. Their disagreement was probably a minor issue but it concerned Paul enough for him to mention them.

Whatever the reason, we should remember the words of Christ and help those in dispute between each other or with those in dispute with the gospel message. The church is a living body of those following the Way to God’s promise. When part of the body is hurting, the whole body can suffer.

In verse 4 Paul gives the whole reason for being united in faith – being able to rejoice in God. Being able to rejoice only comes when we are not carrying around dislike or unforgiveness or selfish pride in our hearts. Rejoicing requires the peace of God – a peace that surpasses all understanding. But here is the kicker – when you have these things in your heart rejoice in the Lord and He will help you work them out!

Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Philippians 4:5 (NIV)

To add to the thought on rejoicing Paul gives us a little to think about in verse 5. Being gentle requires us to have compassion for others. It requires us to be forgiving toward others. It mandates that we live in harmony with others! Our gentleness must be evident to all! God is near in our hearts, in others, and maybe even through His angels around us. Gentleness is seen in a calmness or tenderness in our actions. It means, when offended, we learn to turn the other cheek with forgiveness (which means we let it go forever – never to be brought up at our convenience). This is how God is with us.

Verse 6 tells us not to be anxious about anything. That means don’t worry. If we are worrying, then we are not spending enough time in prayer and petition before God! It means we are not trusting God to be God in our life. We may not like the answers but God’s plans will be revealed to us when we cease trying to control every situation we encounter and start trusting God’s work in and through us.

Presenting requests to God is a time of thanksgiving. Why? Being thankful shows you do trust God and you do believe He is more than sufficient. So in everything we are to be in prayer. When we take this lead in life, we have less worry because God will speak to us in various ways to remind us where He is leading and how He is leading. We are not puppets. We are responsible in how we use God’s gifting and plans. Prayer helps us keep in line with God and helps us to put aside issues that only He can handle.

To confirm this, look at verse 7 again. Paul says “the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will”:

• Guard our hearts – this is a military term that means guarded by a garrison or in a stronghold. Troubles will come but peace will be stronger. Our hearts are the “seat of our thoughts” as one commentary says. God’s peace helps us keep our thoughts pure.
• Guard our minds – with the seat of our thoughts guarded with peace our thoughts in action will be guarded as well. Our inner thoughts form our actions while our mind turns our actions into reality.

Do you want to control your action and thoughts? Then learn how to be in tune with the peace of God. So how do we do this?

Verses 8 and 9 are the keys. Our thoughts stir our emotions which stir our actions. It works the other way also – our actions can stir our emotions and thoughts. One way to do this is to equip our minds with things that please God. Here is the list:

• Whatever is true – the Bible is the single most standard of truth in the world. Tempered with a relationship with Christ who gives us truth to set us free, truth become key in seeing reality in Christ compared to the sinful reality created by the world.
• Whatever is noble – things that are honest and honorable fit this bill. Things that are worthy of respect should be on our minds.
• Whatever is right – Being just towards others and in keeping with the truth God places in us.
• Whatever is pure – “Free from contamination or blemish; unmixed and unmodified; wholesome. Paul probably was speaking of moral purity, often very difficult to maintain in thoughts.”—Life Application Concise New Testament Commentary (I could not say it this well)
• Whatever is lovely – There is a lot of things people use to “darken” their lives. There are whole lifestyles created to just to exemplify this macabre lifestyle. These are things that distract our attention from God. God wants us to think on the things that are lovable – things God loves about us and others.
• Whatever is admirable – If someone opened up our thoughts and looked upon the things we think about continuously – would it seem admirable to them? There are things in life that receive a good report – heroic actions, selfless service, and other areas that prompt a moment of pause for reflection.
• Anything excellent – there are numerous thoughts in life that are excellent in virtue. The things in life that having desirable qualities – qualities that align with God’s character – these are the things to think upon.
• Anything praiseworthy – things that deserve praise given to it. Actions of others or ethics within are all praiseworthy. These are not things that should receive more praise than God but are things that we would see God praise.

Just thinking is not enough, however. Thinking should also include practice. God’s peace comes as we implement what we learn.

• What have you learned from this passage?
• Which area have you lacked in your thought life?
• Have you experienced God’s peace lately?
• How do you deal with people who offend you? Are you holding a grudge that is hurting your ministry? If not, are you sure? If so, how will you release it?