Jessica looked at me with desperation and shared her need to rid herself of worry. She was frustrated with God for not giving her the peace she craved. She’d done everything she could think of repeatedly and still, no relief. She was active in her church, she prayed, read the bible and still nothing. She was stuck. Does this sound familiar?
It’s not just Jessica that wrestles with this longing to live in God’s promises. She wasn’t looking for perfection. She wasn’t even expecting things to “go her way”. She simply wanted confident assurance in the middle of life’s storms. She desired God’s divine calm to invade her heart and saturate her mind. She wanted to walk in God’s promise of peace. She could quote the scripture in Philippians 4:7 stating, “the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” So what was missing?
Let’s focus on this scripture and see it through a different lens, the “IF, THEN” lens. The two promises of peace and protection are what I like to refer to as the “THEN”. It’s the latter portion of an “IF, THEN” statement. Now lets focus on the IF! What does God command before this promise (the THEN)? I see five IF’s, lets check them out:
1. Rejoice in the Lord always.
2. Be gentle to all.
3. Be anxious for nothing.
4. Pray about everything with thanksgiving.
5. Be grateful.
Wow! God has conditions to His promises. He is faithful to always provide peace and protection. Are you faithful to tend to the IF’s He’s commanded? This list is humbling. In fact, I believe it’s impossible to do these things with out Christ. It’s not like us to focus on the joy of our salvation when our circumstances are filled with stress and pain. It’s also not our nature to be gentle to everyone. I pray that you will experience the true power of walking in God’s promises. Discover the IF’s God has in His Word so that you can experience the fullness of His THEN’s!
“Rejoice in the Lord always, Again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:4-7)
