“The peace of God” (v. 7) is the remedy that “the God of peace” (v. 9) offers for corroding care, anxiety, fear and worry.
Philippians 4:7: “And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
- Grammatical Usage: “peace” or in the Greek, “eiréné” meaning, “wholeness”; “guard” or “phroureó” meaning, “actively watch”; “hearts” or “kardia” mening, “character; inner self”; “minds” or “noéma” meaning, “thought process”.
- Literal Interpretation: And the wholeness of God which transcends human understanding, will actively keep watch over your inner self and thought process as they rest in Christ Jesus.
- Contextual/Comparison: God keeps His Word: God continually uses His Word. For the Christian, fear, anxiety and worry are useless, unnecessary, unseemly and even sinful. What then is the cure for anxiety and fear? Many psychological remedies are offered, and some of these are helpful, but none of them goes to the root of the problem. God’s prescription contains three ingredients, and these are mentioned in Philippians 4:6; they may be stated thus: (1) Be worrisome for nothing; (2) be prayerful for everything; (3) be thankful for anything:
- BE WORRISOME FOR NOTHING
This does not mean we are to be thoughtless, but it does mean that we are not to be overcome with excessive care and anxiety. This is God’s command.
The difficulties and uncertainties of life have always afforded men and women abundant opportunities for worry, but never have the temptations to worry and anxiety been so great as in the days in which we are living. On every hand there is confusion, suffering and loss, and the words of our Savior are being fulfilled (Luke 21:26). But the true child of God, the one who is “in the Lord” (v. 1), and whose name is in “the book of life” (v. 3), should not be overcome with the distressing maladies of fear and worry yet many are!
- It is useless for a Christian to worry, to be fearful or to be anxious according to Jesus (Matthew 6:25-27). What do our worries and fears accomplish? Nothing! Nothing accumulates so quickly as worry, which is why it is positively dangerous. It harms us physically, mentally and spiritually. It can destroy our digestion, send up our blood pressure, cause insomnia, paralyze our body, seriously affect our heart all of which clouds our judgment, causing spiritual distress, disorientation, confusion and inaction.
- It is unnecessary for a Christian to worry, to be fearful or to be anxious. Why? Because we have a heavenly Father who is all-powerful and all-loving, who knows what His children need and who is able to supply that need (Matthew 6:28-32). And where is this loving heavenly Father? Verse 5 tells us that He is “near”, and though this reference may refer to the Second Advent, see Matthew 28:20 and Hebrews 13:5.
- It is unseemly for a Christian to worry, to be fearful or to be anxious. It is, of course, a lack of trust. A worrying Christian is a contradiction (1 Peter 5:7). This may be literally translated, “It matters to Him about you”. How unworthy it is for a Christian to worry!
- BE PRAYERFUL FOR EVERYTHING
Verse 6 tells us, “In everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God”, and “everything” means “every thing”. Have you ever brought your fear or your worry to God in a definite way and asked Him to remove it?
- “By prayer” means not just talking about it, but actually praying.
- “and petition”. This includes the idea of earnest intensity. Surely, if worry and anxiety are so destructive to us, our prayers for deliverance from these ‘demons’ should be earnest and urgent!
- “present your requests to God”, and this implies definitive, precise requests. We are not to pray in a general sense but in a specific sense.
- BE THANKFUL FOR ANYTHING
Verse 6 says, “In everything…with thanksgiving…” But surely there are some things for which we cannot be thankful? Are there? Does anything ever happen by chance in your life or without God’s loving permission? Is Romans 8:28 really true? Then we can and should thank God for anything and everything. Compare v. 4 and vv. 11-12 in this chapter. Praise will soon chase away worry.
Now notice the result of mixing together these three ingredients in God’s prescription – v. 7: “And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Notice:
- The certainty of this peace – “will”
- The quality of this peace – “of God.” Can you conceive of God being worried, flustered or fearful?
- The nature of this peace – “transcends all understanding.” It is beyond logical explanation, but not beyond personal experience.
- The appropriateness of this peace – “will guard your hearts and minds.” God’s peace will guard like a sentinel to keep away fear, worry and anxiety from our heart and mind: two places where they seek to enter (Isaiah 26:3).
- The channel of this peace – “in Christ Jesus.” We have peace with God through Him (Romans 5:1; Colossians 1:20), and the peace of God through Him (John 14:27; Romans 15:13).
- Conclusion: It is in Christ Himself that we find “heaven’s cure for earth’s care.” Have you found Jesus? Have you seriously committed your way to Jesus? Then fear not.
