Guarded by Peace

Devotional Reading: Philippians 4 (NIV)

Scripture Focus: Philippians 4:6-7 (NIV), “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. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

Being guarded has several different meanings. Some people are guarded in their emotions, they are not quick to let people into the intimate spaces of their lives. These individuals are accustomed to hearing phrases such as, “you’re guarded” or “let your guard down.” Those who have celebrity status or members of a royal family tend to have bodyguards to provide protection as they navigate public spaces. In our current climate, we have even seen the need for top medical expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci, who is the leading expert on the coronavirus pandemic, have a need for increased personal security due to threats to his safety.  In each of these cases, we understand the need to be protected emotionally and physically. These types of guarding of your person are necessary to protect your well-being and livelihood. Likewise, we must also learn to guard ourselves spiritually. We often have mastery of guarding ourselves physically and emotionally, but neglect to guard our spirits by ensuring our heart and mind are protected. 

Paul shares with us that we have to learn to not be anxious about anything. I’m sure most of you reading this initially thought, “yeah right!” especially in light of pandemic that has been plaguing our lives for the past few months. Yet, Paul is on to something that can help lessen, if not eliminate, the anxiety in our lives. He says instead of being anxious, take the time to pray, make (petitions) which is a special prayer for blessing. We are further advised to be thankful while we are praying and making our petitions to God. Being thankful when you are asking for something is like when small children ask their parents for something. The child believes that the best way to get what they are asking for is to praise the parent or give thanksgiving in advance, saying things like, “mommy you are so nice” or “daddy you are the best” and for those of you who are parents, you can admit that the thanksgiving of our children helps to ease our heart and makes us more inclined to grant the request. And knowing that we have the ability to make special requests to God should cause us to get excited because God is a great parent! However, that is not the most exciting part of the text. The final words of verse 7 is what excites me because it tells me that the same peace that will surpass all of our human understanding will also guard our hearts and minds. I don't know about you, but with everything that is going on in the world around us, I need to have a safety guard around my heart and my mind.

Closing Prayer: Dear God, thank you for being the One who hears and responds to our prayers. I am grateful for the peace that you give me in times when I am in despair and discouraged. Your word teaches me that I do not have to be worried or anxious because you have sent peace to guard my mind and my heart to keep me stable in the midst of instability.