Flip the Switch: Finding God's PeaceSample

What is the peace that surpasses all understanding? What does this mean?

It means that no matter our circumstances, whether we are facing death, torture, arrest, or ridicule, we’ll be able to handle it in stride. Our faith in God dispels fear and conquers the evil one leaving us content in whatever life brings.

A favorite Bible passage often used in times of strife, stress, or struggle comes from the Apostle Paul’s letter to the early church in Philippi. Philippians 4:6-7 tells us what we need to do when we are feeling anxious: pray, and present our requests to God with thanksgiving.

The notion of God’s peace being able to guard and protect us can be a welcome balm for our troubled souls. God’s peace is so great that we cannot possibly comprehend its fullness. His peace is so great that it overshadows even the mightiest of concerns.

But what is the peace that surpasses all understanding, and how can we get that peace?

The original Greek word for peace, eiréné, is defined as “one, peace, quietness, or rest.” Essentially, it’s a giving over, a blissful relaxing, much like the carefree sleep of a child who has no worries because all of their concerns are handled.

Peace can often be translated with a militaristic perspective in mind, such as the absence of human conflict or battles, but here it’s used more in reference to a state of mind and spirit.

For Paul’s intended audience, people often torn apart by religious persecution and cultural strife, the concept of peace is a desirable one.

The Greek phrase “uperechousa panta noun” is translated to mean, “surpasses all understanding.”

Uperechousa, or its transliterate version, huperechó, comes from the words huper (which means over, or beyond) and echó (have, or hold), according to Strong’s Concordance basically, “to hold above, to rise above, to be superior.”

This, then, is something that is far above the norm, vastly beyond the regular.

From a translation perspective, this essentially implies a deep, blissful, restful state that is so far beyond our normal state, which at that time for the church in Philippi, was divisive, contentious, and combative.

For a people accustomed to conflict and trouble, the promised peace of God would have been not only desirable but something they could scarcely begin to imagine.

This peace that surpasses all understanding can only be found in one place:

The word of God and an abiding relationship with Him.