Understanding the Peace of God in Philippians 4:7: What It Means

When we read the Bible there can be so many scriptures that we see at only face value. What I’ve learned is that we understand some scriptures more deeply when we’re under unfortunate circumstances. This is because when we go to read our Bible, our hearts are in a different posture. When I’m in troubling times I tend to analyze and linger on scriptures more because I desperately need some sort of comfort or encouragement. However, when my life is going great I’m not so desperate for a Bible revelation so my heart posture is different.

A scripture that I’ve come to truly understand after being in a dark place is Philippians 4:7. Philippians 4:7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. The Greek word for “peace” taken from Thayer’s Greek Lexicon is “Eirene” pronounced as I-ray-nay which means a state of national tranquility. To be tranquil means free from disturbance.

Now what does having peace beyond understanding really mean? It means having peace that goes way above your human way of thinking. You don't understand how your situation will be fixed but you have this peace that the problem will be solved. No matter how impossible it may look physically, you believe and trust in a God who is spiritual. Naturally, we don't know what goes on in the spiritual world but we don't need to. Why? We rest in the peace of God. In this peace of God, we are tranquil not because the situation has been solved, but because we are free from it. This means, that our hearts and minds aren’t chained to the pain and worry we may be facing. That peace protects our hearts and minds from anxiety, fear, or any negative emotion the devil may try to attack us with.

Paul specifically mentions the heart and mind because it produces our thoughts and emotions. During our times of pain, we must realize that we are more vulnerable to the attacks of the devil than we would be if everything in our lives was perfect. Like Jesus when he fasted for 40 days and night, was probably in extreme pain from hunger and that's when he was tempted. When we have the peace of God that surpasses all our understanding our minds are shielded from any negative emotions because of our hope in Jesus Christ.

Reflection: What areas in your life do you find yourself worrying about? At the end of a perfect day, what situation has the potential to ruin a beautiful day? Write down the situation and ask God to help you surrender it to him in exchange for His peace.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, I pray that you will grant me peace that surpasses all my understanding according to Philippians 4:7. When it seems like there is no way out of my situation and the pain is too much I pray that Your peace will guard my heart and mind. I don’t need to figure out how I’m going to solve this problem because I’m trusting in You, the problem solver. Thank You for being Jehovah Shalom in my life. I pray in Jesus’ name, Amen.

More faith-based blog posts below:

• If I’m going to wait on God, I will wait well

• 8 Scriptures of Hope in your time of need