Sunday, May 15, 2011

Peace in the Midst of Trouble



“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace.
In this world you will have trouble.
But take heart! I have overcome the world.” – John 16:33


“You will have trouble…” Jesus promises us.  It’s not one of those promises we jump up and claim and hold dear to our hearts but there it is.  You will have trouble.  Not you might or you may sometime or it could possibly happen but definitely, at some point, you will have trouble.  Maybe you have fallen out of sorts with a loved one and are hurt beyond what you thought you could bear.  Maybe the pressure at work is overwhelming and you find yourself dreading Sunday because it’s the last day before Monday.  Maybe you have no work and don’t know how things are going to work out.  Maybe the bills are bigger than the paycheck, the hunger more than the food, the need greater than the supply.  Maybe you just feel empty inside, just going through the motions.  You are so busy but nothing seems to get done.  Maybe you live day to day but nothing really seems to change and you feel unfulfilled.   You find yourself wishing for some significance in life and asking “is this really it…really…I mean this is what life is about?”  The bad news: I don’t have the answer to your problem.  The good news: I know what you need in the middle of your problem—God’s peace!

Jesus tells us in John 16:33 that in this world we will have trouble.  The Greek here portrays “a situation so difficult that it causes on to feel stressed, squeezed, pressured or crushed.” 1  Maybe you find yourself there right now—crushed, stressed and pressured.  There’s still hope, in the same verse, Jesus tells us that in Him we may have peace.  He actually tells us “In this world you will go through some distressing times, but take heart and be courageous.”2  Jesus goes on to tell us He has, is, and always will overcome the world.  He has provided “a continuous and abiding victory.”3 

He tells us, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid” (Jn 14:27).  He gives us His peace and commands us not to let our hearts be troubled or afraid.  His peace and fear cannot dwell in the same heart.  You have one or you have the other.  The verse just before this ties in an interesting connection.  The Father will send the Holy Spirit and the Holy Spirit will teach us all things and remind us of everything Jesus has said to us.  Notice the connection between the Holy Spirit and the peace mentioned in the preceding verse.

Romans 14:17 informs us the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.  The Kingdom of God is tied to peace in the Holy Spirit.  God actually desires to grow His peace in us.  Peace is one of the fruits of the Spirit.  If you crucify your sinful nature with its passions and desires, then the Holy Spirit will grow His peace in your heart (Gal 5:22-25).  One of the ways to know His Kingdom is alive in you is to monitor your heart’s reaction to trouble in your life.  Do you have peace or pestilence, plague, and pandemic?  Are you worried and fearful or does the peace of God reign in you?  Are you anxious or restful?

So how do we gain God’s peace in the middle of our circumstances? Philippians 4:4-9 helps us out here. 

4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. 9 Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

This passage of Scripture tells us to rejoice always—not for our circumstances but in our circumstances.  It gives us seven ways to overcome our anxiety, fear and worry.

  1. Remember the Lord is near (v5).  In our troubles we should remember God promises to be with us (Heb 13:5) and when we draw near to God, He will draw near to us (James 4:8).

  1. Prayer and petition to request what you need from God (v6).  God delights in answering the legitimate needs of His children (Mt 7:7-11).  The Greek here illustrates a “close, up-front, intimate contact…a passionate, earnest, heartfelt sincere prayer…adamant in requesting and demanding assistance to meet tangible needs, such as food, shelter, money, and so forth…a full expectation to receive what was firmly requested.”4

  1. Thanksgiving  (v6) – think of who He is and what He’s done in the world and in your life to this point and thank Him for it.  The Greek here pictures “an outpouring of grace and of wonderful feelings that freely flow from the heart in response to someone or something…an earnest outpouring of thanks.”5

  1. Think about the right things (v8).  Make a conscious effort not to focus on your worry, fears, and anxiety.   Focus your thoughts on the noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, and praiseworthy things all around you.  Choose not to be the negative naysayer, persistent pessimist, continual complainer, or wearying worrywart.  Be the buoyant benefactor, overjoyed optimist, eternal encourager, or truthful trustee.

  1. Focus on things above (v8).  The injunction to “think on such things” leads us to consider God who is noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, and praiseworthy.  Mull over your pretentiousness and forgetfulness that God is in control and He is good.  Set your mind on Him (Col 3:2-3).

  1. Quote Scripture (v8-9).  When we need something to fill up our thoughts and have difficulty pondering on God, Scripture we have memorized can be a great comfort to us.  Psalm 23 assures us that even though we are not good followers all the time, God is the Good Shepherd and He will care for our needs—rest, sustenance, restoration of the soul, comfort, strength in Him, His presence always with us, His guidance, peace in the presence of enemies, goodness, love and mercy.  Endeavor to memorize some of the Scriptures on peace in this article.  Let Psalm 85:8 jog your memory, “I will listen to what God the Lord will say; he promises peace to his people” 

  1. Get an eternal perspective (v9).  Remember God is with you and He is so much bigger than your current disconcerting circumstance.  Remember this won’t last forever.  Determine to run the race with perseverance and diligence and trust in His abundant goodness (1 Cor 9:24-27, Heb 12:1-3,  Phil 3:12-14).  Isaiah 26:3 reminds us, “You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you.”

In the midst of your trouble, control your thoughts and “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful” (Col 3:15).  The Greek here gives us the portrait of the peace of God being our umpire or referee over our emotions.  When worry, fear, and anxiety threaten our thoughts, “we can stop it from happening by making the choice to let God’s peace rise up from deep inside like an umpire or referee to moderate our emotions.  As we do, we will be kept under the control of that divine peace as it rules in our hearts.”6  Philippians 4:7 gives us the same portrayal in the Greek, “And the peace of God—a peace so wonderful that it cannot be compared to any other type of peace; a peace that stands in a category by itself and rises far above and goes beyond anything the human mind could ever think, reason, imagine, or produce by itself—will stand at the entrance of your heart and mind, working like a guard to control, monitor and screen everything that tries to access your mind, heart and emotions.”7

2 Thess 3:16 Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with all of you.

O Lord of Peace, come to us now and fill us with the peace that passes understanding in the midst of our circumstances.  Help us to seek you with all our hearts, at all times, especially in times of trouble.  Help us to trust in Your goodness, kindness, and love for us.  Fill us with Yourself!  Amen!


Footnotes
1 Renner, Rick. "Jesus Has Overcome Everything" Sparkling Gems from the Greek: 365 Greek Word Studies for Every Day of the Year to Sharpen Your Understanding of God's Word. Tulsa, OK: Teach All Nations, 2003. 792. Print.
2 Renner 792.
3 Renner 792.
4 Renner, "Five Important Steps To Move From Fear to Faith, From Turmoil to Peace, And From Defeat to Victory" 709-711.
5 Renner 710-711.
6 Renner, "Let God’s Peace serve as an Umpire for Your Mind and Emotions!" 2.
7 Renner, "Peace That Passes Understanding" 322.

References
All Scriptures not specified are quoted from Life in the Spirit Study Bible (NIV). Stamps, Donald C., and John Wesley Adams. Life in the Spirit Study Bible: New International Version. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2003. Print.