The Path to Peace

The “screensaver” on my computer is a daily reminder of one of the most important thoughts I’ve ever had. When my laptop has been inactive for a few minutes, the screen goes black. Then large red words begin scrolling across the display saying, “The only way to peace of mind is to see each day as an opportunity to trust God and love people.”

For me, the thought has been more than a screensaver. More than a few times, the reminder to see every circumstance as an opportunity for what matters has softened my anxiety and cooled my anger.

I’m also convinced that even though my screensaver is not a direct quote of Scripture, it reflects the heart of Paul’s jailhouse letter to the Philippians. Penned in the discomforts of a lock-up, while former friends accused him of being a threat to society, Paul laid the foundation for the thought that keeps changing my mind and my life. He called it “the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding” (Philippians 4:7).

Where can we find this peace?

What we do know about this peace is that it does not insulate us from concern or loss. Neither will it spare us the internal struggle of emotions rooted in the fragile chemistry of our own bodies.

The peace Paul described is a deep, stabilizing peace of faith that comes as a gift from the Spirit of God. It is calmness of soul that enables us to be sure of the goodness and presence of God even when emotions are whispering and screaming like demons. As an assurance of priceless value, this peace is more of a “knowing” than a “feeling.”

It is at this point that we need to be careful. Although the peace of God is a gift of His Spirit, there are some choices we need to make at three levels of our life.

First level—On the surface, real issues threaten our peace of mind. Because our natural inclination is to let these surface issues rob us of our peace of mind, Paul gave us two lines of defense. First, he encouraged us to bring all of our concerns and requests to God in order to experience a peace that goes beyond our ability to understand (4:6-7).

Second, he urged us to refocus our thoughts by thinking about what is true, and good, and honorable. He immediately went on to say in the next verse that if we follow his example the God of peace will be with us (4:8-9).

Until recently I misunderstood the second of these two strategies. I assumed that when he urged us to think about what is true and honest and good (4:8) he was saying in effect: If you want peace of mind, think good thoughts. Be positive. Be optimistic. Don’t think the worst. Think the best about people and life.

Looking back, I should have known better. Avoidance was not Paul’s style. When he focused his own mind on what is true, and pure, and praiseworthy, he faced his own failures. He went to the rescue of others. He cared to the point of tears. He was realistic about human evil. He understood the strategies of demons.

Even in his letter to the Philippians, Paul openly faced disappointments, conflicts, and facts that made him cry (3:18). Understanding what Paul meant by “honorable thinking” helps us to see that he was advocating a peace that can be experienced with God in the middle of our problems rather than apart from them.

Continue with rest of column.