Peace in a Time of Unrest
Pause:
Before you start reading this devotional, take a moment to stop what you’re doing, slow down and focus on Jesus.
Pray and ask him to open your eyes to see as you read the scriptures, and to open your ears to hear as you wait on the leading of the Spirit.
Read:
Philippians 4v4-9:
“4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. 9 Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.”
Going Deeper:
Some of the biggest battles we face in life happen in our minds. In moments of constant pressure and uncertainty we often find that our minds become places that are overrun by the burden of our cares and worries. The crisis this world currently finds itself in presents plenty of reasons for our minds to be filled with fear and anxiety.
It would be unhealthy for us to deny that the times we are living in are tough. They are difficult, they are hard, they are uncertain. God doesn’t call us to pretend that our circumstances and situations are picture perfect, but he does call us to pray in the midst of the chaos and confusion.
When we come to God in prayer with our praise, petitions and requests he offers us a peace that surpasses all understanding as he guards our hearts and minds in Jesus.
Prayers of Praise and Thanksgiving
Philippians 4v4: “Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say rejoice”
Paul in this verse encourages us to rejoice in God no matter the situation we find ourselves in. The Gospel has given us an abundance of reasons to be thankful even in our darkest moments. The life, death and resurrection of Jesus has given us true and eternal life that can never be taken away from us.
However, in these precarious times we might find that our minds are being clouded with lies about who God is and how he feels about us. About the hope we have in Jesus. Perhaps we feel like there is not much to rejoice in at all. We might believe that God has abandoned us, that he is punishing us, or that he does not love or care about us at all.
Scripture however shows us:
That God Is for us (Romans 8v31)
That God Is with us (Psalm 43v18)
That God cares about us (Psalm 147v3)
That God empathizes with us (Hebrews 4v15); and
That God is at work in our lives despite our circumstances (Romans 8v28)
Furthermore, Jesus’ death on the cross proves in the boldest way just how true this is.
In 2 Corinthians 10v5 Paul writes: “We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”
During this lockdown period we may have more time than usual to let our thoughts run wild in our minds. Will we let our thoughts run away with us? Or will we apply our knowledge of who God is and the truth of the Gospel to our hearts and minds?
The Gospel of Jesus directly demolishes all false information about God and his love for us. It works to demolish the power that false ideas and images have over us, and their ability to lead us away from God. Are we thoughtfully applying the word of God to our minds, dwelling upon it, pondering it’s meaning and exploring its implications for our lives?
What we dwell on is SO important because it impacts our lives and relationship with God. In Philippians 4v8 we see that Paul calls us to dwell on “whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.”
As we spend time praising God, rejoicing in the truths of the Gospel, and applying them to our thinking, we take captive every thought that stands in opposition to the truth of who God is and how much he loves and cares for us. We find rest and peace in his promises and in who he is.
Prayer and Petition
Philippians 4v6: “by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God”
Rejoicing in God does not mean that we cannot be real with God about our pain, struggles, fears, doubts and questions during this time. We don’t have to put on a happy smile whilst we quietly suffer on the inside. Rejoicing is about dwelling on and reminding ourselves of who God is and what he has done for us. Rejoicing is not about projecting happy emotions in tough times or pretending everything is okay when it isn’t.
God invites us to pour out our hearts to him, sharing our disappointments, questions and worries with him.
1 Peter 5v7: “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.”
We can bring the things that burden us and actively place them upon Jesus in prayer. He is able to carry our cares in a way that nobody else can, because he cares about us more than anyone else does. We can have an honest conversation with God because after all he already knows about the things that are troubling us, causing us anxiety and stress.
In today’s culture we are taught to believe in fate, that whatever will be will be, with or without our prayers. But all throughout Scripture we see that when God’s people humbly come before him in prayer, circumstances and situations change.
In light of this, we can bring our petitions and requests before God in faith, asking him to intervene and change our situations.
We can ask him for his peace in a time of unrest.
Pray:
Respond to God in prayer by speaking to Him about what stood out to your from this passage this morning.
Listen:
What is the Holy Spirit saying to you right now?
Apply:
What are you going to do in response to what God is saying to you from the text and by the Spirit?