The dictionary’s
definition of peace states that peace is: 1) a state of tranquility or quiet; 2) freedom from
disquieting or oppressive thoughts or emotions; 3) harmony in personal
relations; 4) a state of concord or
tranquility.
I call this worldly peace. This
kind of peace can only exist in the absence of difficult situations. As it relates to the above definition: 1) absence of noise or
commotion; 2) absence of oppressive thoughts or emotions; 3) absence of strife;
4) absence of discord.
God’s peace which is referred to in Philippians 4:7 can coexist with the
most difficult situations. That is
because God’s peace is transcendent – it rises above both the circumstance and
understanding. The dictionary’s
definition for transcend is: 1) to rise above
or go beyond the ordinary limits of; 2) to triumph over the negative or
restrictive aspects; 3) to be prior to, beyond, and above (the universe or material
existence); 4) to outstrip or outdo in some attribute, quality, or power
I have personally experienced this peace several times in my
life. My first experience with the peace
of God happened 3 weeks after I accepted Christ into my life. I received a phone call on a Saturday
afternoon from my first husband’s girlfriend - that is when I found out my
husband had been having an affair for several weeks.
Another time was when my son, Byron, was born. The doctors gave him less than a 50% chance
of living and said if he made it the first 72 hours of life, he would
live. I remember going home from the
hospital and sleeping soundly between hours 48 and 60 – knowing beyond any
doubt that if we lost Byron, God would see me through it.
Another time was when Byron had his first open heart surgery
at age 2 – I remember him being wheeled on the bed into the operating room and
he had to pass through these double doors that had two teddy bears painted on
them waving to the people on the outside of the operating room. Of course we were at a Children’s
hospital. While we waited in the family
room I had such a peace that I was able to work on my Sunday School lessons for
the next week. This peace was not
centered on Byron surviving these situations, it was centered on God taking
care of me no matter what happened.
And most recently when Byron passed away. I felt God’s peace once again in the hours we
spent saying good by to Byron as he lay passed in the hospital room.
There have been other times I have experienced this peace of
God but this is only a blog, not a book, so I will limit my shared experiences. According to the definition of worldly peace,
I should not have had peace at any of these times. But God is greater than this world and His
love and His power and His care extend beyond all we know in our finite
world.
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