Peace beyond understanding.

"And the peace of God which passeth all understanding shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." Phil 4:7

I am resolved in 2008 to draw nearer to God in everything I do. I started the year by fasting in order to cleanse myself physically and seek the Lord for any spiritual direction he might impart at this point in my walk with Him. Immediately I began to realize just how much unrest exists in our busy lives. When one tries to be quiet and reflect, life seems to magnify its pull. Even with a simple act of giving up the pleasure of certain foods through fasting, I find distraction from the most unlikely places.

As I laid in bed this morning contemplating what I would write, I found a million thoughts lined up and racing single file through my head. I could not focus on any one thing for more than a few seconds when the next thought would enter and pass through. In frustration, the alarm sounded and still I was no closer to a word from the Holy Spirit.

I hadn't taken the trash out the night before so I decided to throw on some shoes and do that and then it came to me..."Peace"

There are 400 verses in the King James Bible conatining the word peace. It must be very important to God that we have peace but how often we ignore the quietness of a Sunday morning before everyone stirs in the house, or the solitude of the beach at sunset. I noticed in Paul's letters he offers a greeting or a closing that offers God's peace to his readers. Peace, even back in the days before the Blackberry's and cell phones, was a precious commodity.

In 2Peter 1:2, Peter writes "Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge (full understanding and discernment) of God and of Jesus our Lord." This verse tells me that we all need to stop and consider God and his Son Jesus Christ to fully understand who they are. We must not neglect this consideration for anything that is on our calendar or on television. True peace can only come to us when we understand who God is and what he has done for us through his Son Jesus Christ. Nothing in our busy lives is more important or more peaceful.

I pray that the peace of God which passeth all understanding will keep your hearts and minds free of the clutter which is of this world. I pray in the glorious name of Jesus. Amen!