Philippians 4:7 is a very comforting verse for us Christ Followers.

It is one of those verses that we cling to like a life jacket.

We repeat it to ourselves and we use it to exhort others.

Today, let us probe this particular bit of scripture deeper to see what sweet gems we will uncover.

Scripture – Philippians 4:7

⁷ And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Observation

Paul wrote this life-giving gem while in prison as exhortation to the people in Philippi.

He wanted to encourage them with the truth that God’s peace was indeed accessible.

And the peace of God here is completely distinctive from all other semblance of peace that humans can fathom.

This is not a peace that predicated on the absence of confusion or trials.

That would surely be nice.

But this peace is greater.

It runs much deeper.

It is a peace that stays with us in the very midst of trials and sustains us beyond it.

It is precisely the kind of peace that had our Savior sleeping deeply in (See Mark 4:35-41)

Paul Knew The Philippians 4:7 Kind Of Peace

It ‘surpasses all understanding’.

Intellectual discourse cannot sufficiently capture the essence of this God-kind of peace.

But while it cannot be adequately explained, it can be experienced.

We can safely deduce that Paul was writing about something that was not abstract to him.

He had intimate knowledge of it because he had encountered it.

This is evidenced simply by his present conditions as he pens words that would have uplifted the intended recipients as well as every single believer, centuries later.

Whereas the average man would have been in some level of distress at being in bondage, Paul busied himself by seizing every opportunity to still fulfil his purpose.

The very tone of his writing tells us that far from a man in despair, Paul embraced the peace of God.

This became Paul’s lifestyle.

This ought to encourage us.

It is so important for us to remember that biblical stalwarts like Paul were as relatable as us.

This means we ought to adopt an “if he did, so can I” attitude.

We desperately need to latch on to the transformative truth that as Christ is, so are we in this world. (1 John 4:17)

God’s Peace ‘will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus’

Jesus Christ is the embodiment of the peace that surpasses all understanding.

God’s love has been perfected in Jesus and those who keep a steady gaze on Him will experience this incomprehensible but still attainable peace.

Allow yourself to really think how precious grace is.

It has afforded us this unmerited privilege.

So we, mere mortals, get to experience this gift of peace through relationship with God to sustain and protect(guard) us with the peace of Christ which surpasses all understanding.

What mind-blowing goodness!!!

Application of Philippians 4:7

Now, we must look at the previous verse to fully grasp how we are guarded.

The peace verse 7 promises then in contingent upon how we treat anxiety.

Paul gives us a spiritual formula: prayer + supplication + present your request + with thanksgiving = God’s Peace.

So you see friend, perfect peace is our portion.

What Happens When Anxiety Still Persists

When we do not embrace this sweet, simple, undiluted peace of God, anxiety still plagues us.

You see, this is an active sport.

We must renew our minds daily and consciously choose to abide under the shadow of the Almighty.

Peace comes through abiding.

Anxiety therefore attacks us simply because after having walked out verse 6, we often pick our burden right back up.

We must learn to cast our cares on Him and leave it be. (1 Peter 5:7)

We are casting it in infinitely more capable hands than ours after all.

You can learn how to do this through a practical visualization exercise we wrote about here.

Consider also, that anxiety can persist from failure to fully follow Paul’s recommendation in Philippians 4:6.

It tells us pray and petition with thanksgiving.

This addition to the ‘formula’ has far-reaching implications for our faith.

You see, praying with thanksgiving is a way for us to activate our faith.

Thanking God for answering our request before we even get what we’re praying for is a very powerful faith act.

And, as the Word tells us, without faith, it is impossible to please God. {Hebrews 11:6)

Another Practical Application

We can apply today’s scripture to our lives too by committing to staying in the Word.

Cultivating a daily bible-reading habit will help us to abide.

By constantly seeking after our Lord, we get to grasp that peace that passes all understanding.

We can even take it further by reframing how we see anxiety.

Rather than allowing it to rob us of our peace, we can use it as a prayer prompt.

Think of it as a signal for prayer.

A call to run to the feet of Jesus.

Seeing it this way diminishes its power and will only amplify the power of prayer in our lives.

Prayer

Abba Father,  thank You for looking
out for and after me in all things.
You are my peace and because of this
I know that I am blessed in all things.
I pray to always dwell in Your peace,
and to remain steadfast in Your love.
Thank You for giving me access through
Your grace and for guarding my heart and
mind.
Thank You for keeping me in perfect
peace as my mind is stayed on You, Lord
Jesus.
Amen

Before You Leave

We really hope you enjoyed this dive into Philippians 4:7 today.

We all have a God-sized hole that no one or nothing else can fill.

Jesus is that peace we are looking for.

Listen to the anointed Naomi Raine sing bout Him before you go.

Enjoy