Boy I sure am blur at times...

I've always quoted Phil 4:6-7 to anyone going through an anxiety of 'tuff' times...it's a beautiful verse and here is what it says:
 

  • "Do not be anxious about ANYTHING..." (whoah, check out the SCOPE of God's care and provision - His palm of grace covers ALL areas of our lives, no? *smile*)

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  • "but in everything, by PRAYER and PETITION..." (we gotta talk to God about our situation, have a chat with Him, spill our guts out to Him...and of course we gotta ask Him for help...not that He needs to be asked, though, rather the asking is for OUR good...so we don't take things for granted...)

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  • "with THANKSGIVING, present your requests to God." (it's strange how much good we do our hearts whenever we just SIT DOWN and consciously REMEMBER our many blessings and give thanks for these...like thinking of what words to use in a report or figuring out where to go for a holiday, I'm sure God intends thanksgiving to be a fully focused, pre-planned and disciplined activity...something we need to channel our minds towards...)

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  • "And the peace of God which transcends all understanding..." (I suppose sometimes we just DON'T KNOW WHY we feel joyful, moved, touched [even to the point of tears] - we realise the peace is from God and we rest and enjoy His mysterious and unfathomable 'drippings of grace' in our tornado-invaded lives...)

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  • "will GUARD your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." (guard us from what?  From all the nonsense, skepticism, envy, rat-race propaganda, hatred, and impurity which the world throws at our faces...why else do we find peace so hard to sustain, eh?)

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    The above two verses were one of the first few foundational principles which've stuck with me throughout my pilgrimage and pack comfort, assurance and strength still.  I've hold the verse close to my heart for a long time now, and have disseminated it at every opportunity I can get.

    Then later on (a few years after), I 'discovered' (yeah, right) that just BEFORE this grand passage came the quiet but enormously significant phrase, "The Lord is near" (Phil 4:5b).  Amazing!  Somehow my eyes always skimmed past this beautiful little verse in my 'rush' to get to my favourite passage, (hehe!).  Yet how reassuring it is to know that we have a God who draws close to us, cradles us in His arms and does so with even more love than a mother takes care of her baby (Isa 49:15)!

    And this year my stress-blinded eyes were opened to see yet another glorious part of the Phil 4 picture, that of vs.8-9.  This is what it says:
    "Whatever is:

  • True
  • Noble
  • Right
  • Admirable
  • Excellent
  • Praiseworthy


    • ...think about such things and put into PRACTICE what you've learnt, received or heard from me." (Phil 4:8-9)

    The final phrase in the passage was none other than:
    Phil 4:9(b), "And the God of peace will be WITH you"(!!)

    It took eight years for my eyes to stop skimming past Scriptural gems like that and see the message in its entirety:

    God will be with us, near us, beside us, in us (sounds like I'm rapping, eh?).  Paul puts this promise cum declaration at the FRONT and BACK of his wonderful passage on 'How-To-Feel-Peaceful'.
    Our souls fill up with delight and joy when we believe in this Oh-So-Loving Person next to us...and we continually converse with Him, bounce ideas and issues off Him, and give Him quick hugs or worshipful thank-you notes from the heart, *smile*.

    A life thus lived would bring tears of joy flowing from the Father's eyes...

    "You will keep in perfect peace
     him whose mind is steadfast
     because he trusts in You...", Isaiah 26:3
     

    Warmly,
    AL
    Aug 2000
     


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