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Incomprehensible peace
Quarantine, confinement, doing time—no one likes those. Paul, however, remained positive during his house arrest. A veteran of beatings, imprisonment, and riots, Paul knew how to be both chained and joyful.
Paul passed along to the Philippians (and to you) God’s plan for positive thinking: Be joyful and gentle with others. Trust your anxieties about the future to the Father in prayer. Thank Him for the good things He’s given even as you bring Him your requests. That provides fertile ground for the Father to grow the fruit of His Spirit in you, His incomprehensible peace side by side with inexplicable joy.
Regardless of circumstances, Paul wanted believers to think well, to take thoughts captive so that the God of peace would remain in their midst. Clear reasoning includes, as Eugene Peterson renders Paul’s words, whatever proves “true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious,” so that beautiful, praiseworthy thoughts, words, and actions become the norm.
Do you have a regular place to bring your requests and even disappointments to God and absorb His good words for you? Can you find joy amid your tough circumstances and face them for Jesus’ sake? If you can think clearly and trust the Father, He can handle the debris of the storm that’s swirling all around and bring you peace.
About this Plan
When life hits like a tornado, where do we go? When we’re anxious about the future, to whom do we turn? Over thousands of years, God’s people have faced setbacks, even disasters. Their experiences show us ways we can respond and how our faith in God can remain intact—and maybe get even more real.
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