This week we are reading together each day, Philippians 4:4-12. We see the phrase "the peace of God" in verse 7 and "the God of peace" in verse 9. The first tells us that when we pray and make our needs known to God, we experience peace guarding our hearts and minds. The second says that when we think of what is true and right, and then practice what we think, then the God of peace will be with us. This counters fear. We find the God of peace many places in scripture, such as Psalm 23, the center of which is, "For you are with me."
I find it hard to pray so that I truly make my needs known to God. It is easier to pray for others, to confess my sins, to pray in thanks and praise. It takes some courage and reflection to identify what my needs truly are and then make them known to God. As a result, sometimes my mind and heart are left unguarded.
I also find it takes intentional effort to connect good thinking to actual practice. It feels like swimming upstream. So many of the messages we receive in the world encourage us to think about the negative, about that which is filled with fear or anticipates the worst. So often we live by habit rather than by a focused practice of what is right.
When our boys were young, they had a youth basketball coach who would say, "Practice does not make perfect. Perfect practice makes perfect." In other words, don't just goof around during practice and reinforce bad habits. Think about shooting or defending correctly.
In our spiritual lives, it is important to put into practice what we learn. This is not about perfection, but it is about finding opportunities to do what we believe and know to be true. When we practice our faith, the God of Peace is with us.
Leave a comment