Living in Peace

“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.”

Philippians 4:6-7 NLT

This verse from Philippians commands us to do two very big and daunting tasks: do not worry about anything and pray about everything. You may have heard or read this verse many times before, but if you are anything like me, every time you see this very familiar verse, you cannot help but think, “How in the world am I never supposed to worry?” and, “How am I practically going to pray every single second of every single day?” Come on, Paul, a normal person like me cannot possibly perfect these two things. Also, my friend Paul, you are sitting in a prison cell; you have all the time in the world! All right, I will stop picking on Paul, but in all seriousness, how do we not worry and pray at all times?

As modern-day women, we have a great deal to worry about. We worry about today, tomorrow, the next day, and what the future holds. We worry about our husbands, our children, our aging parents, and ourselves. We worry about the clothes we wear, our hair and makeup, and what our homes look like. It feels like there is always something demanding our attention and leading us to worry.

The Bible shows that we are not the only ones who struggle with worrying about everything. In Luke, we see two women who give us a picture of what worry in this world really looks like. Martha is frantically cleaning every nook and cranny of their home as if Jesus Himself is coming to visit—oh wait, He IS their special guest! She is distracted by all the tasks that need to be done, while her sister, Mary, is sitting at Jesus’s feet, in absolute awe of all that He has to teach her. Martha notices her sister’s lack of haste and help, but all Mary can focus her attention on is her Lord and Savior. Jesus responds to Martha’s frustration with these words: “Martha, you are worried and upset over all these details! There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her.”

Martha was so consumed by her worry and her “need” for all the house tasks to be done that she missed the best opportunity of her life: to sit at her Savior’s feet. Mary sought and focused on the One who mattered most.

Our passage in Philippians commands a lot from us as followers of Jesus, but the overwhelming tasks come with a beautiful promise. Paul reminds us that after we stop worrying and instead start being persistent with our prayers, we will receive and experience the peace of God. This is not any sort of peace that we temporarily experience through a quiet time on the back porch or binge-watching our favorite Netflix show. God’s peace transcends all human understanding. It is a peace that can guard our hearts and minds from the world that tries to take it away. Instead of allowing the temporary troubles of this broken and evil world to consume us, we can fix our eyes on the One who brings us eternal hope, peace, and salvation. So when Paul commands us to stop worrying and start praying, he understands how difficult that may seem. He knows the weight of suffering and hardship. Instead, Paul points us to the Peace, who is Jesus.

Mary also experienced this Peace when her sister was pestering her, her house was a mess, and chaos surrounded her. She didn’t need a cup of coffee, a perfectly cleaned home, or even a quiet environment to draw near to the Prince of Peace. Mary chose the better!

So when worry seems to be the only option, what should we do? When it seems like there is only chaos in our lives, what should we do?

Tell the Peacemaker what you need.

Bring your worries, your troubles, and your anxieties to His feet. It does not need to be perfect or polished. He wants you to simply sit in His presence.

The peace of God, which passes all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds as you live

in Christ Jesus.