Thursday, November 15, 2012

You Can Have Peace

Right now is a very interesting point in history.  The world we live in is changing more and more each day, and not necessarily for the better.  A lot of people are worried and anxious about life.  I am writing this article on November 5th, less than 24 hours away from Election Day.  By the time you read this, either Barack Obama or Mitt Romney will be the President of The United States.  Depending on who you are, and who is now our president, some of you may be even more worried and anxious.  Some of you may feel more secure.  Some of you may feel hopeful.  But, some of you may feel scared.  I am not going to give you my opinion of the two men or tell you who I voted for.  This article is not about politics.  However, I used the election as an example because it has been talked about for months, and will continue to be talked about for many more months.  For most of us, it has been a source of stress and anxiety as well.

I've been meditating on a few scriptures lately that talk about anxiety.  I have desperately needed the peace of God to fill my life these past few months.  One of my favorite passages of scripture is Philippians 4:6-7.  I like the Amplified Bible for this passage.  It says, "Do not fret or have any anxiety about anything, but in every circumstance and in everything, by prayer and petition (definite requests), with thanksgiving, continue to make your wants known to God.  And God’s peace [shall be yours, that tranquil state of a soul assured of its salvation through Christ, and so fearing nothing from God and being content with its earthly lot of whatever sort that is, that peace] which transcends all understanding shall garrison and mount guard over your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus."

I love how the Bible describes the type of peace we will have when we pray, with thanksgiving.  "...that tranquil state of a soul assured of its salvation through Christ, and so fearing nothing from God and being content with its earthly lot of whatever sort that is..."  Assured, no fear, content; that's the kind of peace we can have.  The Bible goes on to say that this peace, which transcends all understanding shall "garrison and mount guard over our hearts and minds."  When I read that, I didn't know what it meant to "garrison", so I looked it up.  I was blown away by what that means!  A garrison is a body of troops stationed in a fortified place, the place where such troops are stationed, or any military post, especially a permanent one.  To garrison means to provide (a fort, town, etc.) with a garrison, to occupy (a fort, post, station, etc.) with troops, to put (troops) on duty in a fort, post, station, etc.  So, if we look at it with spiritual eyes, what does it mean?

I believe when God says that this peace will garrison over our hearts and minds, he's saying that he has stationed his troops, his angels, his protection, permanently over our lives.  If we will stop fretting, stop being anxious, and in every circumstance pray to God with an attitude of thanksgiving in our hearts, then he promises to deliver to us this peace; this "troop" of angels, permanently standing watch over our hearts and minds.  How cool is that!?  I don't know about you, but that is the kind of peace I want in my life. 

My husband is an officer in the Navy.  There was a time when we thought he was going to be stationed overseas, and I was very afraid.  I had seen pictures of what was happening in the countries that they were talking about possibly sending him and I couldn't imagine him being there.  I started to think back to my childhood in Washington State when we used to go to the old Forts where battles had been fought.  It was so cool to take our flashlights into these underground concrete buildings and pretend we were soldiers.  I remember wondering what it would have been like to be in those buildings with guns and canons and bombs going off all around me.  Obviously, the fort handled it well or we wouldn't have had anything to explore.  If these forts, these garrisons that man has built can withstand violent battles, how much more can a fort built and guarded by God and angels withstand the battles of anxiety that we are facing?

1 Peter 5:7 says, "Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you."  To cast something means to throw, hurl, or fling it.  Casting our anxiety on Jesus requires deliberate action on our part.  We have to choose to let our anxieties go.  We have to choose to throw them off of us and onto Jesus.  He can handle it.  We can't.  God didn't design our bodies to hang on to stress and worry.  There is nothing in our body that was designed to carry burdens, stress, anxiety, and worry.  That's why Jesus says so many times in the Bible not to worry.  When we choose to hang on to our anxiety, we aren't trusting Jesus fully with our lives.  We have to choose to submit to God and not our circumstances.  Even when things are completely out of our control, God is always in control.

So, whatever anxieties you may be feeling right now, just cast them off.  Give them to Jesus.  Do not be anxious about anything!  Keep praying!  Keep a thankful heart.  And God promises that his peace shall be yours.  Peace that we can't even understand.  It doesn't necessarily mean that your circumstances will change.  But, it means that you will have peace even in the worst circumstances.  That's how you know the peace of God.  When you are calm in the middle of chaos.  When you still have joy in the midst of sorrow.  That is the peace that can and will be yours.  Take a deep breath...let the presence of God wash over you, knowing that he has angels stationed over your life, and rest.

This post is featured in the November Issue of Surrender Magazine. Check it out at www.SurrenderMagazine.com!